AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Bob Taylor Claude Miller is a director I have been much interested in in the past, and the sufferings of those targeted by Nazis during the war can't fail to affect me, but this film dealing with a Jewish family before, during and after the war somehow does not grip me as it should. I can't fault the actors, they are all good, and Cécile de France is inspired, but the endless flashbacks and flash-forwards tried my patience greatly. When I have to ask myself who this character is who is hurling angry words at another character, I lose patience with the story. Some pruning of plot and characters would have benefited the film.Miller also made L'Accompagnatrice, again a war story, which suffered from many of the same faults. I think he is best at contemporary stories like Betty Fisher et autres histoires and Garde à vue, when he can work with the actors without having to recreate an historical context.

Aristides-2 Though the story told is autobiographical, and tragic, you don't have to care much at all for a couple of the main characters. I found two reasons to loath this movie: 1. The first wife, Tania, so deeply disturbed when she learns of her husband Maxime's attraction to her sister-in-law Hannah, violates her deepest maternal instincts, i.e. to protect her young son Simon, by masochistically revealing herself to be a Jew to the Vichy police (they subsequently perish in an extermination camp).....and only a mile away from safety! Grotesque human behavior by all three of these adults makes them impossible to relate to. 2. Casting anomalies: Jumping back and forth over decades the actors cast look the same age most, if not all of the time. Which confuses the viewer repeatedly about chronology. ( I suppose in the case of the too-old-to- begin-with Patrick Bruel (Maxime), the director just accepted this reality while looking at dailies by rationalizing, "If the audience is going to get hung up over his looking too old then they're not really into the story!" Oh yeah director Miller: Bruel was too old looking in 1937 and looking exactly the same....too old.....twenty years later!) Overall conclusion: This movie reduced the horror of the French-Jewish experience of the Holocaust to a sordid love triangle. Yuch!

freebird-64 I was able to see to see this film as part of a recent festival of French films shown at Cannes. It was one of the better French movies that I've seen but somehow it lacks the emotional impact to make it a truly outstanding film.Un Secret is about Francois, who gradually learns about his family's secret history, dating back to World War II, that continues to haunt his parents and himself even up to the present. The director expresses this idea visually by shooting the present day scenes in black and white and the flashback scenes in color.The plot of Un Secret is well-laid out and comes together satisfyingly enough. I have to admit that one problem I had with the film was that I had some problems following the complicated family relationships among the characters, but once you get past that, the way the story unfolds is ultimately rewarding.The problem I had with the film, which may just be my problem, is that the film lacks emotional impact. The film'e emotions are understated and, while this is not necessarily a bad thing, prevents it from becoming truly memorable.Still, its one of the better recent French films and you should see it if you get the chance.

Jay Harris Claude Miller wrote & directed this excellent drama about a family in France From the 1930's to more recent times.It is based on Philippe Grimbert biographical novel about his family & the decisions some members had to make during the war in order to survive.Some say it is a holocaust tale, They do mention & we see fleeting images of that tragic event. This is a sometimes funny, sometimes sad & also tragic as well. ALL these elements are part of life, & we have them all in this 100 minute movie. It is done in a flashback style using various color patterns(including black & white, to cover the period depicted. It can be a bit confusing BUT when you pay close attention everything becomes clear.This is also about wonderful people,the sort of persons we all would like to have known, we may very well know some people like those portrayed in this fine film.Since this is a French film,most of the cast may not be known to us,They ALL do an excellent job. Everything in this film is very well done.It was released in the US in Nov. 2008 & played till early March 2009. BUT only in a very small handful of theatres.This is the type of film that should have played in many theatres all over. It is that good a drama.I feel it would appeal to all types of families.Rent this, you will not be sorry, You may even want to purchase it.Ratings; **** (out of 4) 97 points (out of 100) IMDb 10 (out of 10)