that fuckin diner scene!!! that fuckin bbq scene!!!!! Timothy Spall picking up a sausage no bun eating it with his hands!!!!!!!!!

Secrets & Lies, written and directed by Mike Leigh, is a precarious yet beautiful balance of poignancy and comedy, one which emerges as emotionally touching but neither ponderous nor pretentious. Headed by a cast comprising of many frequenters of Leigh’s movies, it competed in the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, where it ultimately attained three awards, including Best Actress for Brenda Blethyn as well as the Palme d'Or.

It deals with complicated family matters, and while the storyline implies a broad melodrama, Leigh displays himself a virtuoso of subtle differences; delivering an emotional film that doesn’t submit to the conventional generic traditions and restrictions. In a similar way to other entries in Leigh’s filmography, this slice of life is an ultra-realist spectacle with flickers of comedy that are dazzlingly written, directed, and acted by all involved.

I can believe it won the Palme d'or for the cafe scene alone. 

There are very few performances better than Brenda Blethyn's. Maybe none. Enough said.

Constructed realism at its peak. The story is broken down perfectly and yet each and every moment feels so natural and of its own pace. It's two hours of talking that feels like a never-ending action sequence. Within a conversation, there's this genuine feeling that we're just watching two people chat about whatever comes to mind, and then slowly yet suddenly, everyone gets on the same page. We realize what the thing is that we're not talking about, and the following silence is heavy. There are great performances in loads of movies, but to have characters that feel this lived in is rare. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Brenda Blethyn have the strangest chemistry. So damn good.

families are full of deep secrets. everyone lies and hides parts of themselves. and with families, those whispers of half-truths accumulate and build up after years and years of pushing them down. but nothing can stay hidden forever and all of that pressure causes an explosion. an explosion of truths revealed. and everyone gets hurt in the process. 

this is only my second mike leigh film, but what I’ve noticed about his films is how natural they feel. there’s a natural glamor to films that feels stripped away here. I know this family, I’ve seen this family, I’ve been this family. This kind of raw portrayal of familial tensions just really sits with me.

I have never felt so many emotions at once. I just want cynthia to call me sweetheart. brb gotta call me mum

WINTER "HIGH ART" MARATHON 3.0 #80

Figured I should finally check this out since it's Mike Leigh's birthday today.

This is my favorite film I've seen from him. Realistic and full of character from start to finish. The entire third act had me leaning forward wondering where it would go next. Just like "Naked" and "Meantime", the performances from everyone are outstanding in this.

Σπουδαίο ανθρώπινο δράμα, το οποίο σε σημεία μοιάζει να φλερτάρει με το μελό, αλλά δεν φτάνει ποτέ μέχρι εκεί, χάρη σε ένα σωρό σπουδαίες ερμηνείες και σκηνοθετικές επιλογές.

I lost someone yesterday, this was my grief.
For some people life is all about sharing pain. But pain is a broken sink, once you open it, you all gonna drown.

I honestly put off watching this because of the title but now I'm like fuck yeah they did have secrets and lies!!

Palme d'Or Winners

What I expected from this movie after reading the plot summary:

Voice Over: "Hortense searched for her biological mother and found something different".

Hortense: Wait, you're white?! *Record scratch*

Sonreír para el exterior, vendiendo una imagen de perfección, cuando fuera del ojo público, atrás de la fotografía idílica colgada, hay una serie de malestares profundos, enojos y resentimientos callados o declarados, tolerados en soledad. Un hervidero de emociones que algunos asimilan con frialdad, reflejando un temple sereno en el derrumbe interior, y a otras las atormenta en su frágil carácter tan minado por la hostilidad exterior.

Mike Leigh sabe que el material primordial de toda su película son los sentires de sus personajes, siendo los actores que dan lectura e interpretación a esa hecatombe interna, un elemento contundente para introducir al espectador en el drama. Por ello, el film se permite muchas veces los planos largos, estáticos, sostenidos por el cromatismo actoral que reacciona a la verdad, a la sinceridad lastimosa que por tanto tiempo alojada en el desván, se había borrado en la memoria.

Одна из сильнейших семейных драм, что приходилось видеть. Аж дыхание перехватило от напряжения и всех маленьких трагедий, разрывающих здесь практически каждого героя на куски. Ли какой-то совершенно безжалостный автор, честное слово. Восхитительный, но безжалостный. Нельзя ж так.

Канеш, ебашит так сильно не только благодаря таланту Ли, но и во многом благодаря замечательным актёрам, чья естественность действительно поражает. И все прям хороши, но Блетин абсолютно великая. Сцена первого знакомства в закусочной вообще какая-то недосягаемая актёрская высота, как по мне. Прост сиди да вытирай слёзы одну за другой, а всё равно поток их не остановишь

Man there sure were a lot of secrets and lies!

Can we bring back Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste? They are exquisite and deserve far more opportunities than they've gotten.

family dynamics made me nauseous ,,brb calling me mommy

for christmas one year my mom got my grandma and great aunt annie and great uncles brian and jimmy 23andme.  first generation american children of  irish immigrants, they and we knew that their results would be like 99% irish, which they were! except for jimmy who was 50% irish 50% italian (he was always what one might call “dark irish” while his siblings are all quite fair). now he doesn’t speak to his siblings because he thinks it’s conspiracy to undermine his irish identity and that’s the most we will ever know bc my great grandparents are long dead! basically yea tell the truth lol

Top tier acting, directing and script. Brenda Blethyn gives an all time great performance. Emotionally intense completely devoid of cliche and pretention.

Simply put, Mike Leigh gets people, this film has so much emotional depth, it's realistic, there are no bells and whistles, this is just life.
The acting and dialogue are so incredible that it's easy to imagine yourself as a fly on the wall through every sad and often uncomfortably awkward scene.