Secrets & Lies

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.

Cast

Brenda Blethyn

as Cynthia Rose Purley

Marianne Jean-Baptiste

as Hortense Cumberbatch

Timothy Spall

as Maurice Purley

Phyllis Logan

as Monica Purley

Claire Rushbrook

as Roxanne Purley

Lee Ross

as Paul

Lesley Manville

as The Social Worker

Elizabeth Berrington

as Jane

Michele Austin

as Dionne

Ron Cook

as Stuart

Reviews

CRCulver

SECRETS AND LIES is a 1996 film by Mike Leigh that, appropriately enough, is concerned with the things that members of a family conceal from each other. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a black woman in London who has made a successful career as an optician, knew from a young age that she was a...

Peter McGinn

If I ever get around to drawing up a list of my top 25 favorite non-blockbuster movies, Secrets and Lies would roll in very near the top. I have watched it a few times and expect I will continue to do so periodically. The acting is phenomenal. It is an ensemble cast, for sure, no superstars, but ...

Filipe Manuel Neto

**A good work, currently forgotten.** Just when I think I've seen all sorts of movies about racism, issues of race or prejudice, there's something new that comes out of nowhere, or some meritorious, well-made effort that's worth seeing. This film, initially, seemed to me just a sweet and average ...

griggs79

_Secrets & Lies_ is a compelling film that delves into the themes of family, identity, and the profound impact of shame on relationships. It skillfully intertwines raw emotion with a sense of honesty that reverberates throughout the narrative. The performances are remarkably authentic, fostering a s...

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