--- title: "Secrets & Lies: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Secrets & Lies (1996): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics approve, and for the same reasons. The praise clusters around Mike Leigh’s improvisational method, which several reviews credit with producing scenes that feel lived rather than written, and around a cast that works as a true ensemble. Brenda Blethyn’s Cynthia is the performance singled out most often, described as funny and painful in the same breath, with Timothy Spall named beside her more than once. The long two-shot in which mother and daughter first sit down together is the scene critics keep returning to. Many also note the film is warmer than Leigh’s earlier work without losing its eye for class and suburban detail. The spread is narrow. Variety finds the pacing slack and the structure loose in places, and one or two others mention the slow build without minding it. The Independent reads the film as sentimental melodrama and means it kindly, which is where the only real disagreement sits: how far Leigh’s turn towards hope is a gain. Nobody argues it is a loss. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1996. Ebert praises Leigh’s precise direction and the film’s emotional depth, highlighting how the story unfolds through authentic character interactions and long unbroken takes that reveal hidden truths and family dynamics. He singles out the performances, especially Brenda Blethyn’s transformation of Cynthia, for their compassion and realism amid comedy and pain. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/secrets-and-lies-1996-1) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 1996. Turan calls the film a piercingly honest and accessible work that captures the complexities of human experience and emotional truth. He highlights the powerful two-shot scene where Cynthia confronts her past and the organic depth brought by Leigh’s improvisational method. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-04-ca-50161-story.html) ## The Guardian — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 1996. The film is a miraculous achievement in capturing the richness and banality of everyday Britain. Leigh's ensemble performances gel perfectly, delivering both comedy and harrowing emotion through finely observed suburban lives. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,544579,00.html) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 1996. Festival review. The critic praises the film's tender and wrenching revelations and Brenda Blethyn's heart-rending performance as Cynthia. It singles out the emotional immediacy and the way the story captures inner light through its characters. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/27/movies/love-regrets-and-revelations.html) ## Empire — David Cavanagh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2015. The critic calls it hilarious and as touching a film as any Leigh has made, returning to bittersweet suburban comedy. He singles out the superb dialogue, running gags, and strong ensemble performances for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/secrets-lies-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2005. Leigh's familial dramedy excels in scenes that shift from fever pitch to meditative calm, centering on cathartic breakthroughs and class differences. The reunion between mother and daughter stands out for its raw, volcanic emotion and bittersweet healing. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/secrets-and-lies/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the film spellbinding for its extraordinary emotional riches derived from deep focus on one family's everyday experiences. Everyone's superb, with Blethyn and Spall singled out in particular. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/secrets-lies) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The film disarms viewers accustomed to simplistic characters with its honest portrayal of family life and adoption. Leigh's slow pacing and strong ensemble cast deliver an authentic, stylistically minimal drama that highlights good filmmaking. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/secrets-and-lies-1798195555) ## The Independent — Adam Mars-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 1996. The critic finds it a wonderful, beautifully constructed sentimental melodrama that marks a shift for Leigh towards positive emotion and humanist themes. He singles out Brenda Blethyn's fiercely funny performance for praise. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-life-is-sweet-after-all-secrets-and-lies-mike-leigh-15-1348702.html) ## The New Yorker — John Lahr Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 1996. Lahr describes “Secrets & Lies” as Leigh’s most commercial yet authentic storytelling, turning ordinary lives and class tensions into a satisfying, ironic portrait of contemporary England. He praises the film’s focus on shame, hidden identities, and the drama of everyday behavior. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/09/23/this-other-england) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 1996. Festival review. The review calls it a finely observed, deeply felt work that returns to a less dark style but on a more ambitious canvas. It notes some pacing and structure issues that may affect commercial prospects. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/secrets-lies-2-1200445861/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/secrets-and-lies.md