Every Secret Thing (2014) Reviews

• Solid low-key mystery

  Red-Barracuda2015-06-20

  A three year old child goes missing in a small town where two teenage girls live, girls who had been recently released from prisoned for a previous child kidnapping and murder. Needless to say, suspicion soon falls on them. The central idea in this film recalls the notorious British crime, the Jamie Bulger case. In this instance two young boys kidnapped and killed a toddler. It created a media storm and has remained notorious ever since. For this reason, the ideas underpinning this story are based on controversial ground but the film itself is handled in a very understated manner. It's partly a police procedural mystery and part psychological drama. Of the former, it is perhaps not as intriguing as it could be, although admittedly it does have some twists and turns; of the latter it is perhaps more successful where it looks at why a couple of damaged girls and one mother act the way they do. It's an efficient film, rather than an especially good one but it did keep my interest from start to finish.

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• Thought provoking, slightly upsetting.

  natashabowiepinky2015-05-16

  A CHALLENGE: Try making a film like this is modern day Britain, after what happened to Jamie Bulger in the early 90's. You'll discover quickly it's nigh-on impossible. The case is so infamous, it will probably have far-reaching effects on our society forever. And, in fact, when the producers of a horrible soap called Hollyoaks tried to develop a plot that bore only the slightest resemblance to the tragic murder over a decade later, they was so much protest that in the end they had to scrap the entire storyline. Overreaction? Or just respecting the parents and public opinion? YOU decide. So, anyway... Here we have two socially awkward pre-teen girls, one a bit overweight, the other a troublemaker . They don't like each other very much. After getting thrown out of a party, they pass a house where a baby is sitting outside, unattended, in a pram. One of the females decides to kidnap her and keep the tot as her own, much to the chagrin of the other one. Eventually, the more sensitive child backs down, and the pair take her to their secret hideaway... Where they try to feed her nothing but pudding. Of course, this leads to the infant getting sick, and unwilling to go for help (they don't wanna be caught, ya see?) a decision is made the child must die. Rather harsh, you might think... But not when one of the kids is clearly an unrepentant sociopath. I'll leave it up to you to find out which one, because there are a few surprises in store for the unwary. Regardless, the baby is murdered, the girls are captured, and spend the next seven years in juvie. Flash forward to the present, and both have been released. The tearaway has got a minimum wage job, and looks permanently depressed. The fat one is even larger than before, and dreams of reality TV. Then, in the same area, ANOTHER toddler goes missing from a furniture store... And guess who the prime suspects are? Every Secret Thing gives us two very distinct personalities, and slowly changes our perception of them, and the people in their lives, as it proceeds. The people who initially have our sympathy may not hold it at the end, as more revelations about the past emerge even while the investigation in the present is going on. It raises interesting questions about the justice system, how responsible kids that age are for unspeakable crimes and the accountability of parents in such matters. The ending will split opinion, but I admired the realism of it. Sometimes, the people who should be punished aren't, and this is something all too common in courtrooms all over the world. Karma? What's that again? 7/10

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• More about the characters than the mystery

  jtindahouse2015-08-10

  This is an interesting little film. It's a dark story full of grim characters, most of the which are the type you hope never enter your life. You could call this film predictable (and it is to be fair) but I don't think that's where the strength of this film was ever supposed to lie. The strength lies in just how interesting the characters are. The mystery of just how evil each of them potentially is just adds to things. For an under-the-radar film it has a pretty strong cast. Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning all turn in strong performances and the lesser known actors do a good job as well. It's also well directed and despite there being almost no action scenes during the 90 minute run time, the film never drags which is always a good sign. Altogether it's a fine little film that I hope a lot more people get the chance to see.

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• Every Secret Thing

  Argemaluco2016-06-20

  Director Amy Berg is better known for documentaries such as Deliver Us from Evil and West of Memphis; that might be the reason why her dramatic debut, Every Secret Thing, feels a bit dry and impersonal despite its sordid story and the scabrous themes it handles. Nevertheless, I found it a competent thriller with a good atmosphere and excellent performances. The chain of causes and consequences in the screenplay of Every Secret Thing is interesting, but the film lacks of the energy and expressiveness which would have made it genuinely transcendent. Berg might have feared her reserved thriller to become a sensationalist TV movie from Lifetime, and because of that, she took a special care with the level of emotions and the volume of the drama, something I truly appreciate... however, that decision slowed down the impetus of the film a bit, and the final result is an entertaining, but not completely satisfactory, movie. As for the actors, Elizabeth Banks brings a brilliant work in which she proves her big talent outside the comedy once more; Diane Lane perfectly displays a good level of threat in her character, something completely different to her usual roles as victim or comprehensive wife; Dakota Fanning is used to playing this kind of solemn and tortured characters, but that doesn't make her performance less solid; and Danielle Macdonald is an authentic revelation, simultaneously displaying tragedy, optimism and a certain cruelty. With a less shy director, Every Secret Thing could have been a much more memorable film; but in its current state, it's a decent movie which preferred narrative moderation over emotional impact. I respect that decision, but the film didn't reach the potential suggested by its disturbing story. I hope that Berg will be able to find the adequate balance between her analytical instinct and the necessary passion to bring the material to life in her next dramatic project.

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• Well performed crime drama.

  subxerogravity2015-05-18

  The movie does a fantastic job pointing out how sick some people can be for attention. Even more strong of a point considering the movie looks like it took place before social media. It's a well balanced but very sad story about two girls who become the suspects in a missing persons case because they were convicted of the same crime seven years ago. The movie had some great performances by the entire cast. Elisabeth Banks and Nate Parker play two cops who catch the case of the missing persons. Daykota Fanning plays one of the suspects recently released from prison for killing a baby when she was just a child. Diane Lane, who played the over barring mother of one of the suspects. Then there is Danielle Macdonald who seems new to the acting game playing the other suspect. Common also has a small part as the boyfriend of mother of the mission child. I liked how the story played out. Not too much info on the characters were given at once but in pieces, pieces that help you see the depth in all of them. It was also a better way to unravel the crime mystery. I really recommend seeing the flick, it's like a an episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit, but with better cinematography.

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