Secrets & Lies

Secrets & Lies follows Hortense, a Black optometrist in London who, after the death of her adoptive mother, decides to trace the woman who gave her up at birth. The search leads her to Cynthia, a white working-class woman whose life is already strained by friction with her daughter Roxanne, and the discovery that she has another child unsettles the household. Around them, Cynthia's estranged brother Maurice, a photographer, and his wife Monica host a family gathering that brings the separated relatives together.

Mike Leigh directed and wrote the film, which was produced by Simon Channing Williams and sits between Naked and Career Girls in Leigh's filmography. Brenda Blethyn plays Cynthia, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Hortense, Timothy Spall as Maurice, Phyllis Logan as Monica, and Claire Rushbrook as Roxanne. The production, a British and French co-financing effort, was made for about 5 million dollars and returned roughly 13 million worldwide.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 5.4 from a small number of votes, while on TMDB it rates 7.6 from a much larger voter base. A film critics' rating of 8.7 from 45 reviews places the critical response well above both audience scores. At 142 minutes, it is a drama built around a large credited ensemble of 56 cast members.