Thursday, February 27, 2014

In Secret (2014) - A-

It's been said that the trailer spoils this movie, so I won't post it.  Suffice it to say that the story occurs in 19th Century France (though it's in English - American and British actors), and is not a happy one.

In fact the subject matter is extremely bleak, and has been attempted by Hollywood on a handful of occasions - though not within the last 30 years, interestingly.  I think it's better done here than in other more celebrated films.  I was immersed in the bad life choices made by the characters.  Which is what movies do best - to make you feel an experience, sometimes something unpleasant.

This film recreates the look and feel of its time beautifully.  It's well-cast and perfectly made.  People tend to take movies of this time for granted, as commodities rather than as art.  IMO if Francois Truffaut had directed this 30 years ago - and this does have a timeless quality to it, such that had he done so, it would have looked like this - people would have taken it as particularly important.  It's impressive.  I know that I'm saying even less than usual about this film, in perhaps a vain attempt not to spoil the story's content, but the sum total of what I want to communicate is : A).  It's a wonderfully made film, and B).  If you're in the mood for a small dose of culture, by all means this is worth taking in.

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