Secrets & Lies (1996)
Kernel Score: 86% · 711 ratings · Rated R
Genres: Drama
Released: 1996-05-24
Runtime: 142 minutes
Where to watch Secrets & Lies
- Stream: The Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
- Buy: Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
US availability, updated 2026-10-23.
Overview
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.
Secrets & Lies parents' guide: ages 15+
Parents need to know that Secrets & Lies is an R-rated family drama about a woman searching for her birth mother, exploring adoption and class and racial dynamics.
Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official R rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.
Movies like Secrets & Lies
If you liked Secrets & Lies, these are the movies we'd watch next.
- Philomena (2013) — 82%
- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) — 86%
- Lion (2016) — 91%
- In Safe Hands (2018) — 84%
- Short Term 12 (2013) — 86%
- Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) — 85%
- Friends: The Reunion (2021) — 88%
- Mr. Church (2016) — 85%
Director
Cast
- Brenda Blethyn as Cynthia Rose Purley
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Hortense Cumberbatch
- Timothy Spall as Maurice Purley
- Phyllis Logan as Monica Purley
- Claire Rushbrook as Roxanne Purley
- Lee Ross as Paul
- Lesley Manville as The Social Worker
- Elizabeth Berrington as Jane
- Michele Austin as Dionne
- Ron Cook as Stuart
Secrets & Lies FAQ
Is Secrets & Lies good?
Secrets & Lies has an 86% Kernel Score on Fresh Kernels from 711 audience ratings.
Where can I watch Secrets & Lies?
In the US you can stream Secrets & Lies on The Criterion Channel and HBO Max and rent it from Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube.
Is Secrets & Lies OK for kids?
Secrets & Lies is rated R. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 15+. Parents need to know that Secrets & Lies is an R-rated family drama about a woman searching for her birth mother, exploring adoption and class and racial dynamics.
What movies are like Secrets & Lies?
If you liked Secrets & Lies, try Philomena, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Lion and In Safe Hands.