![]() Cynthia and Maurice, despite having raised each other as children after the death of their own parents, can never bring themselves to call the other to check in or lend a friendly ear. The characters of Secrets & Lies manage just as well to be isolated and disconnected from each other, often in self-imposed prisons of their own design. Revisiting this film in what’s hopefully the waning months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s remarkable just how prescient Leigh is in his observations of human behavior. On that first viewing, I marveled at how Leigh’s process of improvisation and collaboration with his actors led to unparalleled glimpses at real human drama - from the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them character snapshots in Maurice’s photography studio to the powerhouse acting showcases of unbroken takes at some of the film’s climactic moments, especially the scene between Blethyn and Jean-Baptiste where Cynthia remembers the circumstances of Hortense’s conception - which lends this edition its cover image. I first saw Secrets & Lies as part of my semi-retired Catching Up with the Classics series, as my last Letterboxd-based review before I began to write for Cinapse full-time. ![]() Before too long, Cynthia begins to withdraw from Hortense, knowing that at some point, these long buried Secrets & Lies must give way to the truth. But Cynthia’s new vivaciousness raises eyebrows with much of her already-fractured family - who she’s never told about Hortense’s existence, let alone her sudden re-emergence. Hortense, still going through her own grieving process for the woman who chose to raise her, finds solace in reconnecting with the woman who chose not to do the same. But Cynthia’s fear and trepidation slowly gives way to an affection that’s both maternal and platonic - and before too long, the two are enjoying nights on the town together. Hortense and Cynthia’s reappearance in each others’ lives is initially traumatic, bringing up long-buried memories for Cynthia while Hortense bears the weight of her ensuing emotional outbursts. ![]() What’s more - Hortense is Black, while Cynthia is white. Hortense is middle class with a thriving, jovial optometry career Cynthia is an Eastender living in poverty with her daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook), isolated from her more successful brother Maurice (Timothy Spall). Neither Hortense or her mother Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) are prepared for who they might meet. After the death of her adoptive mother, Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) decides to take the plunge and officially unseal her records to try and reconnect with her birth mother.
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