dbborroughs Two women who work at a bar decide to use sex to get what they want from life. While they become very successful, things also end up taking a turn or two that they didn't expect. I liked this very adult movie very much. This is a very sexy movie with some very likable women as the leads. The prospect of using sex as a means to an end is of course a way of life for many people, both male and female, and here we see it in action. Watching it I was surprised by how the film didn't go in the directions I thought it would and was pleased that it wasn't this dark noirish tale that cover art seemed to imply.Actually as I was watching the film I was struck by how much this film reminded me of Exterminating Angels, another off beat, but in a good way, French film about a director trying to get the right women to perform sexually for a film he was doing. When I checked IMDb after watching Secret Things I found that the director for both films was the same and that the process of making Secret Things was the inspiration for Exterminating Angels. I can't wait to have a double feature. A great deal of nudity and sexual activity, so keep this away from the kids. Recommended.

kenjha A stripper and a barmaid walk into a bar...um no (although that would have made a more interesting film)...they move in together, carry on with each other, and find employment at a bank so that they can seduce men and move up in the world. There is also an orgy scene that seems to be borrowed from another movie. In the end it tries to become an art movie with something important to say. The fact is this film does not know what it wants to be when it grows up. The direction is pretentious and the acting is lame. Even the extended opening strip scene becomes tedious. Somehow this drivel was given the Best Film award by the famous French periodical Cashiers du Cinema.

Shawn Watson In fact it's a bit of a soap opera. Take away all the sex and you're left with some boring office politics you've seen dozens of times before.The story has 2 girls (Nathalie and Sandrine) get fired from their jobs at a tawdry Paris strip club. They move in together and strike up some kind of weird, half-lesbian friendship. Sandrine has never had an honest orgasm and Nathalie teaches her how to. She also teaches her to lose her inhibitions and masturbate in public. Wow, this may have been shocking back in the 80s with Nine and Half Weeks and even lesser drivel like Wild Orchid but now, in the 21st century it's just plain boring. If the film thought it could use this frank portrayal of sexuality in its favor then it is very much mistaken.In fact, the most interesting part of the film is when Nathalie and Sandrine both get jobs in the same office and use their sexiness to climb the ladder. This bit has also been done before in Neil Labute's In The Company of Men, but not as good. It's here that the best characters are featured but towards the end of the second act the film goes off in another tangent with the evil boss of the company turning out to be a crazed sex-maniac with delusions of godhood.Again, sexuality is used as a way of shock or arousing us, but it just fails. There's so many other films out there that try the same thing and if you want to succeed at it then you either have to be really erotic or just plain pornographic (yup, two different things). Choses Secretes is neither. And the women need to seriously think about shaving George W. if you know what I mean. I know European women like to be au naturel but DAMN!Overall, Choses Secretes is neither good or bad. It's simply middle of the road. For a film that tries to sell itself on loads of sex it's somewhat ironic that the best bits are in the scenes where people are just talking.

anhedonia A film about manipulative, mean-spirited and, at times, downright nasty people - and I absolutely loved it.It's so refreshing to see a truly adult film these days. Not to mention, a film that doesn't just say it is erotic, it goes ahead and proves it. This is not a film for prudes, for those who are easily offended. But for adults who are willing to see some frank discussion about sex and some deliciously devious sexual politics, this film provides wonderful entertainment."Choses secrètes" is enormously entertaining with two thoroughly captivating leads. Sabrina Seyvecou, who turns in a spellbinding performance, has a sort of Heather Grahamish innocence and sexiness to her and, along with Coralie Revel, provides some of the most titillating scenes seen in a mainstream movie in many years. There really aren't any good/wholesome characters in this film. But that's OK. (I suppose Cadene qualifies as a nice chap, but he's a minor character.) Because the cunning of the two women is so absolutely engrossing that you're quickly drawn into their wicked world. Watching them use people for their own ends and not quite knowing who is manipulating whom is one of the many charms of this sensual and exciting film.The film comes apart toward the end. Unravels a bit, especially when writer/director Jean-Claude Brisseau resorts to awfully heavy-handed (and needless) symbolism. There's also a superfluous orgy scene that comes out of nowhere. I wish Brisseau would have come up with an original, atypical, less conventional denouement for his story.If you like the works of Neil LaBute - "The Shape of Things," "Your Friends and Neighbors" and "In the Company of Men" - you should appreciate and enjoy "Choses secrètes."