In Secret (2013)

Paris during a past century. A woman is slowly dying in a loveless marriage but what can she do? She accepts her fate and goes on until the possibility of romance and passion comes her way. Then everything changes and she becomes prepared to do the unthinkable, but is the man she has fallen for a better bet than the husband for whim she has no love?

The location and costumes gave it an aura of authenticity as well as having a very potent storyline makes for an intriguing viewing experience. The let down comes from the fact that it is Hollywood making an epoch film. The way the characters are introduced and the plot develops is way too fast to create the impact it should.

"In secret" is a very poignant title, all evolving around a woman. She is drowning in her marriage...in secret, she meets and falls for another man...in secret, she goes out of her depth to be free of her husband and be with the one she loves...in secret. When the secret is revealed, the whole situation collapses like a pack of cards.

Fmovies: I loved the cinematography at the beginning of the movie and how it quickly changed into a dark and morose tale of human manipulation. When you cast strong actors such as Elisabeth Olsen, Jessica Lange, Oscar Isaac you have a powerful intense shocking human tale of lust, revenge and tragedy.

Oscar Isaac smolders on screen and I found his chemistry with Elisabeth Olsen truly believable during their numerous clandestine rendezvous throughout the first half of this movie. Then the tension just builds up to an incredible ending with both characters totally unravelling and at the end of their tethers.

Every single actor in this film was so strong, even the supporting cast: Tom Felton was incredibly unappealing as Camille. Shirley Henderson provided light and shade in her quirky portrayal of Suzanne. Impressive acting throughout. I really enjoyed this movie because it was so dark. Yet the cinematography was so clearly focused. The resolution of each shot was so sharp and appealing to the eyes.

I was uplifted at the end of the movie because the type of existence these people had was a living hell. Hey, I thought, my life is not so bad after all, compared to what these miserable people went through...

If you suppress sexuality and love long enough, it will break out eventually. And this is what happens here at some point. There are some very racy scenes, that while we do not get so much naked flesh to see, might be a bit too much for some viewers. Love can be freeing, but it can also be like a prison.

And while we do probably have the one Olsen sister who can actually act in this, this might be too much even for her. Especially towards the end, her act seems to be breaking (no pun intended). It gets pretty weird too, too weird maybe for some, but that's something you'll have to see for yourself. I kinda liked it, though the characters seem to lose a bit of their credibility. But it happens ... or it could happen

In Secret fmovies. In Secret (2013) is a French film directed by Charlie Stratton, who also wrote the screenplay. The movie is based on a play, which, in turn, was based on Emile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin.

The film is set in 1860's Paris. (Filmed in Belgrade, where the narrow shop-lined streets still exist.) Elizabeth Olsen plays the title character. She is an orphan, raised by her aunt with the primary purpose of providing her cousin with a suitable wife. Her cousin Camille, played well by Tom Felton, is sickly and inadequate in many ways, including his sexual abilities. Thérèse finds herself trapped in a marriage that's not only loveless, but also sexless. She lives with her husband in the same household with her domineering mother- in-law Madame Raquin, played by Jessica Lange.

Into the mix comes the handsome Lauent (Oscar Isaac). The sexual attraction between Laurent and Thérèse is instant and demands consummation. That's the basic plot. Whether you enjoy the rest of the movie depends on your thoughts about what happens after Thérèse and Laurent meet.

I liked this film on several levels. It looks and feels real--we know this isn't Paris, and the shop owned by Madame Raquin is a set, but they have an authentic feel to them.

The actors are all seasoned professionals, and they perform extremely well. And, the plot--while not exactly original--captures your interest and attention to the end.

We saw this movie at the excellent Little Theatre in Rochester. It will work better on the large screen than the small, but it will still be worth seeing on DVD. I recommend it.

Elizabeth Olsen's latest title role performance is not as showy as her first; when she broke out with "Martha Marcy May Marlene" in 2011, her character's heart and mind were the primary focus of the film. She used her bland looks like the Japanese Noh mask or the Greek Archaic smile, which you could interpret as an expression of any emotion you would like, thus lending mysteries and ambiguities. In "Therese" Olsen goes a lot lighter, allowing us to detach from, or even dislike the apparent protagonist if we choose so.

By contrast, Therese's mother-in-law, Madame Raquin is played by Jessica Lange with a heavy emotional emphasis. Few actresses entertain the idea of playing characters with special physical conditions. Fewer can play them convincingly. Even fewer can play them without words. With Lange they all come as standard. While seemingly playing an antagonist, Lange makes a surprisingly gratifying character.

Tom Felton's frail Camille is Therese's arranged husband, and Oscar Isaac's strong Laurent is Therese's extra-marital affection; these two actors are also solid as they play friends and enemies with polar opposite characteristics.

While by employing a comedic tone director Charlie Stratton takes away some gravity from the serious subject, he nonetheless makes the antique material accessible by wider audience. It is a rather simple story with nothing mysterious about its plot or its characters' feelings and motives, but at the same time, so cleverly ambiguous on the moral ground that you cannot easily decide for which character to root.

When I usually go to see movies which cover a past period of time, I take the trouble of not reading too much about the background or skipping the book it is based on, so that I may judge the product purely on its merits and the strengths of the entire production crew that went into it's making. It pleases me to share with you that "In Secret" ranks as one such fine effort, right from the beginning it transports you to the mid-1800s era of rural France, and tells us the story of little Therese Raquin (Elizabeth Olsen). This effort has good production values, for not even a single moment does your attention drift away from the development of the characters, seeing them grow up, make the ties binding to the extent that Therese clearly suffers from the over bearing domination of her mother-in-law, played brilliantly by Jessica Lange. She gives the entire movie a continuation of the thread for the story, at times you feel her looks, demeanor and restrained but piercing performance, towards the end, are very absorbing. Hats off to the casting crew for making the right call here, she was born to play this role.

I wish to thank my fellow cinema mates - Isabelle and Lisa (you know who you are!) - for sharing their insights with me post the viewing. Correct use of lighting does give this piece the right feel of the suffocating & dreary lower working class Paris conditions, the same dark focus and clever use of perspective subtly nudge the viewer into feeling very tense as the story of betrayal develops. The very same way the characters demons grow, speaks to the way all of them absorb the souls of the players and share them with us flawlessly. As my fellow cinema watchers also shared with me, this movie is not for everyone, and only serious lovers of subtle simple but powerful period stories will appreciate this work. I suspect they are also right in anticipating that we may see many more French literary pieces coming to life on the big screen in the next few years. I give this movie an 8 star rating, simply because I appreciated every frame contributing to the telling of the story, no wasted effort or superfluous diversions whatsoever.