France / May 10, 1996 / Cannes Film Festival
Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.
2h 22min
Overall average
5.0/10
Trailer
Videos
Plot
After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Berrington | Jane |
| Michele Austin | Dionne |
| Ron Cook | Stuart |
| Trevor Laird | Hortense's Brother |
| Brian Bovell | Hortense's Brother |
| Emma Amos | Girl with Scar |
| Clare Perkins | Hortense's Sister in Law |
| Elias Perkins McCook | Hortense's Nephew |
| Jane Mitchell | Senior Optician (as June Mitchell) |
| Janice Acquah | Junior Optician |
| Keylee Jade Flanders | Girl in Opticians (as Keeley Flanders) |
| Hannah Davis | First Bride |
| Terence Harvey | First Bride's Father |
| Kate O'Malley | Second Bride |
| Joe Tucker | Groom |
| Richard Syms | Vicar |
| Grant Masters | Best Man |
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| Annie Hayes | Mother in Family Group |
| Jean Ainslie | Grandmother |
| Lucy Sheen | Nurse |
| Frances Ruffelle | Young Mother |
| Nitin Ganatra | Potential Suitor |
| Metin Marlow | Conjuror |
| Su Elliot | Raunchy Woman |
| Amanda Crossley | Raunchy Woman |
| Di Sherlock | Raunchy Woman |
| David Neilson | Man in Suit |
| Peter Waddington | Man in Suit |
| Peter Stockbridge | Man in Suit |
| Rachel Lewis | Graduate |
| Paul Trussell | Grinning Husband |
| Jonny Coyne | Fiance |
| Denise Orita | Uneasy Woman |
| Margery Withers | Elderly Lady |
| Gordon Winter | Laughing Man |
| Theresa Watson | Daughter |
| Peter Wight | Father in Family Group |
| Gary McDonald | Boxer |
| Alison Steadman | Woman with Dog |
| Liz Smith | Woman with Cat |
| Sheila Kelley | Fertile Mother |
| Angela Curran | Little Boy's Mother |
| Linda Beckett | Pin Up Housewife |
| Phil Davis | Man in Suit |
| Wendy Nottingham | Glum Woman |
| Anthony O'Donnell | Uneasy Man |
| Ruth Sheen | Laughing Woman |
| Mia Soteriou | Fiancee |
| Stephen Churchett | Man in Suit |
Genres
Drama
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | Secrets & Lies |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English, ελληνικά |
| Production countries | United Kingdom, France |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | CiBy 2000, Channel Four Films, Thin Man Films |
| Official site | film4productions.com |
| Release date | 24 maggio 1996 |
| Production | Simon Channing Williams |
| Writer | Mike Leigh |
| Casting | Susie Parriss, Paddy Stern |
| Editing | Jon Gregory, Kate Mackenzie, Ian Seymour |
| Cinematography | Dick Pope, Lucy Bristow, Simon Mein |
| Assistant directors | Zerlina Hughes, Jennie Osborn, Josh Robertson, Chris Rose, Paula Spinks, Mike Leigh, Heather Storr |
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Release dates
Premiere
Czechia / Jul 01, 1996 / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Denmark / Sep 13, 1996 / Copenhagen Film Festival
United States / Sep 27, 1996 / New York Film Festival
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Argentina / Nov 15, 1996 / Mar del Plata Film Festival
Italy / Nov 23, 1996 / Cinema Giovani
Serbia / Jan 01, 1997 / Belgrade Film Festival
Hong Kong / Jan 09, 2004 / UK Film Festival
Finland / Aug 24, 2009 / Espoo Film Festival
Ukraine / Jul 14, 2019 / Odesa International Film Festival
United Kingdom / Oct 25, 2021 / BFI Southbank
Portugal / Apr 30, 2023 / Porto, Batalha Centro de Cinema
China / Jun 10, 2023 / Shanghai International Film Festival
Limited release
United States / Sep 27, 1996 / R
Czechia / Jan 29, 1998 / U / Projekt 100
Theatrical release
United Kingdom / May 24, 1996 / 15
Ireland / Jun 07, 1996
Singapore / Jul 27, 1996
Sweden / Aug 30, 1996
Show more (27)Show less
Australia / Sep 05, 1996 / M
Germany / Sep 12, 1996
Belgium / Sep 18, 1996
France / Sep 18, 1996 / TP
South Korea / Sep 21, 1996 / 15
Canada / Sep 27, 1996
Spain / Oct 03, 1996
Denmark / Oct 11, 1996
Finland / Oct 11, 1996
Portugal / Oct 18, 1996
Brazil / Nov 15, 1996 / L / mj.gov.br - Leda Films
Netherlands / Dec 05, 1996 / AL
Greece / Dec 06, 1996
Italy / Dec 06, 1996
Hungary / Dec 12, 1996
Japan / Dec 21, 1996
United States / Feb 20, 1997
Argentina / Feb 27, 1997
Uruguay / Mar 06, 1997
Poland / Mar 07, 1997
Türkiye / Mar 07, 1997
Mexico / May 16, 1997
Venezuela / Dec 17, 1997
Czechia / Jan 29, 1998
Slovakia / Sep 03, 1998
Serbia / Feb 26, 2010 / Belgrade Film Festival
Taiwan / Jan 24, 2025 / Restoration Re-Release
Digital
United States / Jan 21, 2022 / R / Kanopy
Physical media
United States / Apr 15, 1997 / R / VHS
France / Sep 01, 1997 / TP / VHS
United Kingdom / Sep 29, 1997 / 15 / VHS
Netherlands / Jan 01, 2010 / AL / DVD
Show more (3)Show less
Brazil / Jan 01, 2017 / 12 / DVD
Italy / Jun 26, 2019 / DVD
Israel / Jul 29, 2019 / Blu-Ray Release
TV
United Kingdom / Apr 12, 1998 / Channel 4
Brazil / Oct 02, 2000 / L
Canada / Feb 09, 2002 / Showcase
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