A little girl’s disappearance makes a detective focus her investigation on two young women who just came out of prison for killing a baby seven years prior to that.
Thrilling, yet something was missing. I believe a story is as good as one tells it. The inciting incident, the death of an infant at the hands of two young girls, is powerful and the foundation of a nightmare that terrifies the parents the same way the boogeyman terrifies the kids. The second missing girl, right after the girls’ release from prison, now eighteen years old, makes your heart skip a bit, turning it into a dark “whodunit” that makes the audience constantly wonder which of the two may have done it – if it’s one of them.
Everyone immediately involved with the case carries a cross that leaves an awful stigma in their soul that cannot be removed. The girls, Alice Manning (Danielle Macdonald) and Ronnie Fuller (Dakota Fanning), for doing back then what they did. Mrs. Manning (Diane Lane) for even walking around town when everyone knew what her daughter had done. Detective Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks), who found the first baby, got mentally traumatised and now relives the horror once more, not knowing if she’ll get redemption or deeper scars.
The plot gives a chance to everyone to unfold their point of view that sticks to “facts” that are merely their personal interpretation of a twisted reality looping in their head – except Detective Porter. She is the one who has to read between the lines of the rest call “truth” and find out what has happened to the little girl before it’s too late.
Based on Laura Lippman’s novel, Every Secret Thing is a gripping “race against time” drama/thriller from writer Nicole Holofcener, director Amy Berg, and producer Frances McDormand that, even though it’s not without faults, it manages to get your attention and sustain it till the very end. Having said that, Berg decided not to invest too much in the drama surrounding this horrifying situation, which works against the suspense’s build-up. I believe that taking the time to shift the focus, now and then, to the characters’ personal moments would give the audience an inner view of why everyone acts the way they do. In addition, that would work well with the flashbacks.
Regardless, it deserves a watch. The actresses are all very charismatic, and each contributes to the aforementioned thrill.
Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.
Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
