Un Secret (A Secret) (2008)
75%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A Secret is poignant, sad, and beautifully crafted, featuring fine performances that stave off a drift toward soap opera territory
A Secret is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Some critics loved it, some hated it, and some were just meh about it. But one thing is for sure, the acting is top-notch and the story is complex. It’s like a puzzle that you have to put together, but instead of a picture, you get a family drama spanning over half a century. So, if you’re in the mood for a challenge and some great acting, give A Secret a try.
Production Company(ies)
Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone Production Orly Films,
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 25, 2008
Genre(s)
Drama/War
Keyword(s)
starring Mathieu Amalric, Julie Depardieu, Patrick Bruel, Cécile De France, Ludivine Sagnier, Nathalie Boutefeu, directed by Claude Miller, written by Claude Miller, Natalie Carter, drama, war, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Elisabeth Vincentelli, Jonathan F Richards, Ty Burr, Mick LaSalle, Peter Bradshaw, Yasser Medina, James Vance, Keith Cohen, Carla Meyer, Jonathan Kiefer, MPAA rating, produced by Yves Marmion, family secret, Jewish heritage, German occupation of Paris, Holocaust, French film, true story, multi-layered love affair, repression, silence, beautiful cinematography, poignant, sad, fine performances, soap opera territory, French language, Strand Releasing
Worldwide gross: $1,378,160
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,592,401
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,477
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 173,653
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Patrick Bruel – Maxime
Ludivine Sagnier – Hannah
Julie Depardieu – Louise
Mathieu Amalric – Francois
Nathalie Boutefeu – Esther
Director(s)
Claude Miller
Writer(s)
Claude Miller, Natalie Carter
Producer(s)
Yves Marmion
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (10)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Elisabeth Vincentelli
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The title of this movie suggests the difficulty in writing about it. You can’t reveal a secret without spoiling it, and in this intriguing, complex family drama spread out over several time frames covering half a century, the secrets keep on coming
March 6, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
A structural mess that turns contrived just when it should be hitting home.
December 19, 2008 | Rating: 2/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
A Secret is a showcase for great acting.
October 24, 2008 | Rating: 4/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
A blue-chip cast and handsome stagings do little to prevent this French movie being a muddled, pretentious washout. Substantial re-editing might have helped.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 1/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
An anodyne and predictable drama about the tragedy of the holocaust. [Full review in Spanish]
August 6, 2021 | Rating: 5/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
It’s such a handsomely mounted and well-acted piece that few serious cinema-goers are likely to mind the circuitous path it takes in getting there.
February 6, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Vance
Tulsa World
It is a deeply moving and heartfelt story that makes an indelible impression on the viewers’ hearts and minds.
April 4, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
Keith Cohen
Entertainment Spectrum
In Un Secret, French filmmaker Claude Miller expertly weaves together a family history, merging the personal and political, the celebratory and the tragic, while incorporating three distinct time periods.
February 27, 2009
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee
February 19, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review
Sagnier beautifully plays the most crucial moment. She’s part of a fine ensemble cast that somewhat obscures the heavy-handed symbolism and punch-pulling finale.
January 9, 2009
Stan Hall
Oregonian…
Plot
Emma’s flight home from Chicago is very bumpy, making her believe that they’re going to crash. About to “die”, she spills all her inner secrets to the tall, handsome stranger sitting next to her. Next day at work at the NYC ad agency, she discovers he’s the top guy in the company. As he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s been to Chicago, they promise each other to take the secrets to their graves. Emma shares apartment with a coworker and another woman. She’s not ready to move in with her jazz loving coworker boyfriend.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a “blue-chip cast” and “fine performances.”
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