MattyGibbs
Every Secret Thing is a mystery drama about the previous murder of a young girl and the search for a currently missing girl. It mainly relates to the two young adults who were found guilty of the death of a young girl 7 years previously and who are now suspects in the current missing girl case. The film is very well paced and totally enthralling. It uses flashbacks very effectively to show what could of happened during the previous murder so you don't really know who was responsible until the end of the film. The strong cast featuring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Nate Parker are excellent but special mention goes to Danielle Macdonald who I'd never heard of previously who does a brilliant job as Alice Manning. You never know how the film will end up and I found the very end of the film to be especially chilling. The only negative I can find is that I thought the film could have been a little longer in length. It's quite rare to find decent intelligent dramas these days but this small effort really does hit the mark. Highly recommended.
office-163-137989
I saw this last night on TV (granted I missed the first part of the film), but I didn't understand half of what was really going on. Some reviews here talk about a big "twist" at the end - there was no twist I saw. The filming was so dark throughout, you could barely see whatever was going on in key scenes, and so cryptic in dialog in key scenes, you didn't really get it. All you got was how dark and depressed everyone is: the bad guys, the victims, the cops - the whole town!SPOILERS BELOW:1. Did Dakota Fanning's character kill herself in the tub? or was she just soaking in the tub? 2. We don't see the dead child or anything recognizable in the dark hiding place so we have no idea what Elizabeth Banks' is seeing - we are only guessing and surmising thru the whole thing. And what led her to go there? 3. Why is Diane Lane's character, so fawning over Dakota Fanning while trashing her own daughter constantly? 4. How is it blithely passed off in the last moments that the kidnapped kid was being kept by another adult woman with no one noticing and she's never held to account for this? 5. Why is Alice giving a vindicated speech on the courthouse steps when she is the kidnapper? Who cares that she gave away her real kid years before and this somehow justifies kidnapping??? 6. Did they just leave the first child to die? or did Dakota Fanning actually do something (what?) to kill it because she was bullied by Alice?To me, if you are bored, give this a viewing, but I certainly wouldn't waste my time wanting to watch it again.
Gordon-11
This film tells the story of two eighteen year old girls, who were just released from prison for murder of a child. They are under suspicion of recidivism because another three year old girl is missing.Nothing prepares me for the emotional intensity of "Every Secret Thing". The plot is very good because it draws me in like a magnet right from the start. The two girls in question, Alice and Ronnie, both give fantastic portrayal of being troubled individuals. They may appear innocent or guilty, but nothing is as it seems. The character of Alice is particularly captivating, especially towards the end. It makes viewers wonder what kind of upbringing would cause such an outcome, which is partially answered in the film's various subplots. "Every Secret Thing" is thrilling and thought provoking.
jtindahouse
This is an interesting little film. It's a dark story full of grim characters, most of the which are the type you hope never enter your life. You could call this film predictable (and it is to be fair) but I don't think that's where the strength of this film was ever supposed to lie. The strength lies in just how interesting the characters are. The mystery of just how evil each of them potentially is just adds to things.For an under-the-radar film it has a pretty strong cast. Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning all turn in strong performances and the lesser known actors do a good job as well. It's also well directed and despite there being almost no action scenes during the 90 minute run time, the film never drags which is always a good sign. Altogether it's a fine little film that I hope a lot more people get the chance to see.
AD
