![]() So do the scenes of photo sessions - and it's a matter of observing this film in terms of clarity of personal vision. ![]() And while the Stuart scene is really somewhat incongruous to the rest of the family plot, Cook's scene as the bitter, drunk 't****r' works for me perfectly. I decided to watch this movie again because after a BBC Shakespeare binge I wanted to see everything Ron Cook has been in. The contrasts created by these personae even extended to costume and decor. Opposite her, Jean-Baptiste seemed as cool and smooth as could be. How drained she must have been after sustaining a character who seems always at the height of emotional pressure. I could write quite a lot about Blethyn's riveting performance. Even the social worker is quirky and memorable instead of just furthering the plot and being patently sympathetic. I love character-driven drama, and this film succeeds in creating indelible portraits. It took a second viewing of Mike Leigh's 'Secrets and Lies' to reveal the depth of its genius. for comparison, perhaps see my scathing review of 21 Grams! What a contrast of styles!!! This rates 10/10 by this reviewer, who wishes that more directors - if they truly have a good story to tell - will shoot and edit the film in a way that appreciates the audience's intelligence and capacity to feel without being manipulated by a director's avant-garde(?) bag of tricks. As the film builds towards a showdown/climax at the birthday party, you can even take a step back and at least sympathize with Roxanne and even, Monica. The scenes play out very naturally, and you really feel a part of the story, with special empathy towards - in no particular order - Cynthia, Maurice and Hortense. This is a feast of tremendous acting, by a most talented ensemble who really become their characters. For me, its greatness lies in the resonance of the story lines, the brilliant acting, (Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Timothy Spall all turned in Oscar-worthy turns, and the rest of the ensemble were all with them), and Mike Leigh's direction. This is one of my very favorite movies of the last 10, even 20 years. Would that we had a Mike Leigh at this side of the world to bring us such treasures!! One scene earlier on has Cynthia telling Hortense how more like her she is than her other (white) daughter. You can literally feel her growing joy in Hortense and how beautiful a person she is. She states she deliberately never saw the baby that was the result. The secret of Hortense's father is never revealed, just an "unknown" marked on the birth certificate, which leaves us to ponder on the fact she was probably raped at fifteen. This is a fabulous movie, worth seeing over and over to "get" it all. The slowly developing warmth and comfort between Cynthia and Hortense.And on. The heart-breaking scene where Maurice's snobby wife reveals her secrets. The flashes of mini-plots portrayed by the subjects of Maurice's photographic settings. The drunken ex-owner of the business that Maurice bought bringing Maurice to a place of awareness that it could be him wandering around drunkenly, speaking of his past achievements. Such as the child abandoned at birth and put out for adoption being the most centred and focused of everyone. I love the layering of the story, the characterizations so unexpected. Timothy Spall, playing Maurice, the brother/uncle is incredible, what he can portray just with his eyes is breathtaking. ![]() In fact Brenda Blethyn, who plays Cynthia, the mother, was not even aware that Hortense, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, was black until she meets her for the first time in a crucial scene. It actually gets deeper with each viewing even with knowing that the cast were given the outline of the characters and told to develop their own dialogue. I've seen this movie four times now and waited before writing a review, waited to see if my first spell-bound viewing could be matched by the others that would follow.
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