To laugh and to cry go hand in hand in life, and no one knows that better than Mike Leigh, who shines a light on the ways that we bury ourselves within, afraid to reveal our imperfections to the world. Sometimes, you have to laugh your way through the pain, and Secrets & Lies allows us to do that with these incredible characters: messy, flawed, human, and performed to perfection by this cast. Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste especially are deep wells of emotion.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
I’ve been itching for a second-watch of this one, and it just solidified everything I felt about it the first time. I found the intentionality that Schoenbrun placed into every frame and every line of dialogue.
The queer metaphor is way heavier than I even noticed before. It was so clear on this watch why Owen and Maddy became so invested in the fictional world of The Pink Opaque. Isabel and Tara are clearly the versions of themselves that Owen and…
“Blues wasn't forced on us like that religion. Nah, we brought this from home.”
My second watch (in 70mm IMAX 😭) only proved to deepen my love and appreciation for this film. Not only is Sinners a perfect representation of a director in full-control, knowing exactly how to craft a thrilling movie, but it’s also an extensive exploration of the African American experience that is incredibly layered and deep in its thematic analysis.
I caught so many nuances on this…
Proof that Marvel CAN make films that actually have something to say. Truly one of the most bold visions from Marvel in years, I’m just sort of over the whole MCU thing at this point. But if they made more movies like this, they could bring me back into the fold just a little.
