SECRETS & LIES

Maurice: Timothy Spall Cynthia: Brenda Blethyn Hortense: Marianne Jean-Baptiste Monica: Phyllis Logan Roxanne: Claire Rushbrook Written and Directed by Mike Leigh. Running time: 144 minutes. Rated R (for language).

Secret & Lies. It sounds like a title for a soap opera and in a way that's what the film is like. Revenge. Betrayal. Fear. Anger. Every emotion a human being can produce is used in this film with convincing detail.

In most reviews, the plot would be summarized as a black woman searching for her birth mother that turns out to be white. It would be unfair to describe the film this way, as it would only summarize a small piece of what the film is really about. Secrets & Lies, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, is a clever story of what happens when there is no communication between family members.

Daughters stop talking to mothers. Sisters stop talking to brothers. And when they finally do decide to break the silence, they tell lies to each other and never reveal what is really happening with their lives, thus the title.

This clever story started literally from scratch. When the director Mike Leigh started making this film, he had no script or ideas. The film used the title "Untitled 95," where Mike and his cast had discussion meetings for their film. They pitched ideas back and forth like a tennis game. The results from the collaboration provided a rich well thought out film.

The film begins with Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), an independent well-adjusted single black woman. We find Hortense at her adoptive mother's funeral. The event sparks her to find her true birth mother, which turns out to be Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn), a not so well adjusted single white woman. The news surprises Hortense, as would anyone in that situation.

Cynthia maybe the most screwed up person I have ever seen. Her life is completely devoid of any happiness. She lives in a small house with her other daughter, Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook). Cynthia works at a cardboard factory while Roxanne works in sanitation, as a street sweeper. Both are thankless jobs, as neither gets any pleasure from doing it. The two hardly talk to each other, only exchanging small bits and pieces of their lives. Their conversation is sparse, as Roxanne can't stand being in the same room with her mother. She spends most of her time with her boyfriend, leaving Cynthia to wallow in her empty house. Cynthia spends most of her time moping around the house. When they do talk, it ends in a shouting match over who has the more pitiful life. Cynthia family troubles continue, as she has lost contact with her brother, Maurice (Timothy Spall). They haven't spoken to each other in two years. Cynthia blames Maurice's wife, Monica (Phyllis Logan), for the long silence. Emotionally distraught in every scene, you just want to console her for the rest of the movie.

Maurice hasn't faired better, as he misses talking to his sister. There seems to be some tension between him and his wife, but we don't have a clue to what it is. Now comes along Jean-Marie and suddenly things begin to open up. She is a catalyst for the family.

One of the best scenes in the film, is when the mother and her long lost daughter finally meet at the bus station. The scene is realistic, as the event doesn't come right away. Hortense sees a woman who looks like she is waiting for someone. Hortense waits for a couple of minutes just to make sure she doesn't have the wrong person. She takes a couple of good long looks at Cynthia. The audience knows that Hortense has found her mother, but she keeps waiting and waiting. Why? Wouldn't you want to get your thoughts together and courage before you talk to your birth mother, who you haven't seen for your whole life? When the two finally meet and go to the diner, we see Cynthia trying to reason it out. "But you can't be my daughter, dearie!" Cynthia exclaims. "I mean . . . just look at you!" How does a white woman have a black child? "It's impossible, love. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I never had sex with-" Then she realizes something and she gives a series of reactions from awareness to guilt so painfully that the audience doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. She plays the scene with such conviction that you want to shield her from all the pain she's going through.

Another great scene is at the end of the film, where they all get together for Roxanne's birthday party. Cynthia invites Hortense to come along, after all she is family. Instead of it being a joyful event, it becomes an awkward meeting. We watch them, each trying to tip toe their way through the day. They try to talk with ease, but we can sense that they are hiding something. One word can shatter the whole day. They try to talk about the food and the house, but what about the two-year silence? Who is Hortense? When the pseudo-party does burst, accusations and revelations develop that would put a soap opera to shame.

Secret & Lies isn't an ordinary film. The movie requires patience, understanding and humility. The story is long and at some points tedious, but there is a reason. Character development. It's there to show you how characters react to certain situations and from that the audience is given a glimpse to their personality. Isn't that what life is? A series of situations we get into one after the other. And maybe by the end of the film we can share and understand their thoughts, pain and maybe there joy. What else can you expect from a film that had no script in the beginning? Grade: A-

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