Superb acting unlocks emotions behind 'Secrets and Lies'

Characters with heart

But Leigh has imbued this story with a saving grace that has been sadly lacking in his previous films -- an unexpected tenderness.

The movie stars Brenda Blethyn in a truly outstanding performance as Cynthia, an exceedingly gentle-hearted, middle-aged woman who has led a lonely existence, pretty much devoid of love and, judging from her relationship with her hateful daughter, even devoid of basic human acknowledgment.

Brenda lives in a broken-down flat that stands as the antithesis of the house lived in by her estranged brother Maurice (Timothy Spall).

Maurice is a prosperous portrait photographer with an expensive wife who manages to claw through the mundane failures of his life and take beautiful, insightful photographs of his often uncooperative subjects.

Enter Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a self-possessed, articulate young optometrist who, after the death of her remaining adoptive parent, does research and discovers her biological mother. The 15-year-old girl who gave up Hortense as a baby, sight unseen, was, and is, Cynthia. Cynthia is white. Hortense is black.

Quiet brother anchors film

If this were your average movie, that would be the story right there, but Leigh is concerned with much more than the obvious gulf between a poor white woman and her successful black offspring.

"Secrets and Lies" deals with perceptions -- how we perceive the people we fear, and how we perceive the people we love. Most important, though, it's about how wrong and accusatory these perceptions often are.

The film is absolutely brimming with great performances. I've already mentioned Blethyn, who also was honored at Cannes, but Jean-Baptiste, and Spall, in particular, are tremendous.

Spall has the build of a potbellied National Football League coach (this is a British film, but I have no idea what European soccer coaches look like). Anyone else would almost certainly view him as a rather broad character actor, but Leigh gives him an opportunity to shine as Cynthia's brother.

Cynthia is the main character, but the heart of the film beats in Maurice, who is the only member of this fiercely judgmental family open enough to speak of the secrets and lies that allow them to keep their true selves safely hidden from their supposed "loved ones."

It's difficult to imagine what kinds of roles will come available to such an unglamorous type as Spall, but it will be a terrible crime if no other directors take notice of this performance.

No cliche-ridden dialogue here

Leigh also writes his own screenplays, and he has a slyly comic way with dialogue that sometimes leavens the harsh proceedings.

Phrases like "you look like a slapped horse" and "I wouldn't know him if he stood up in my soup" are not written by hacks (an apt description for most of the extremely well-paid Hollywood film writers).

Leigh's talents for writing precisely tooled scenes as well as pulling wrenching performances from his actors are best displayed in the first meeting between Cynthia and Hortense.

Unlikely soul mates

Hortense, the result of a now-forgotten night between the teen-age Cynthia and a black stranger, has only spoken to her mother on the phone. Cynthia has no idea Hortense is black, and agrees to meet her long-lost daughter at a grimy diner.

The scene, quite lengthy and shot in one continuous take, is as fine as anything I've seen at the movies in the past year.

The slowly dawning moment when Cynthia recalls her brief encounter with Hortense's father is classic, and both actresses run through a wide range of emotions, ending with an unexpected bond between two wildly different people.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the film is that, rather than throwing her life into yet another downward spiral of shame and confusion, Hortense unlocks a long-dormant sense of pride in Cynthia.

This self-respect is really only the starting point of an unexpected, life-affirming ride. Mike Leigh, like Cynthia, has finally grown up. Now if American audiences could only do the same.

Watch for Leigh, and, if there's any justice, Blethyn, at the Oscars.

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