Emilys Geheimnisse

I had never heard of this movie when I saw it in the video store, but I rented it on a fluke just because I'm a fan of Evan Rachel Wood. It turned out to be a fun and dramatic gem, cute without being too cute. It takes on a difficult challenge, making a kids movie adults can also enjoy, all without Shrek-style irony. The revelations in the end can be seen coming before they happen, but it is still enjoyable watching the arcs of all the characters, as well as the subtle lesson in truth. Recommended rental.

Movie- It's about a girl named Emily who has a secret about her past. She doesn't tell anyone one about it. She then encourages the neighborhood kids to come to her with their secrets. (Calling herself the secret keeper). Emily's friends go off to camp, but she stays behind with her dream of becoming a violinist. The movie starts to get going when she gets two next door neighbors. She becomes friends with one of the neighbors, Philip. During the rest of the movie secrets are told and kept. But two secrets get out in the open. And Emily realizes Secrets are bad.

Pro- I liked the acting of Evan Rachel Wood. And I also liked the overall idea of the movie.

Con-In the end, she ends up with someone. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll just say it was disappointing.

Overall Rating of the movie-I give it a B+. Some of the scenes were pretty stupid. ( Along with some acting)

'Little Secrets' is one of those 'sweet' movies that appeals mostly to early teens. The story idea of a young secret keeper is quite amusing and the secret keeper's quest to adulthood is portrayed in an okay way (though very clichéd). Evan Rachel Wood is very pretty and her acting is also what contributes to the film's positive side. She's the reason why I watched it till the end instead of switching to something else (as mushy teen flicks of this decade do not hold much appeal to me). Vivica A. Fox delivers a restrained performance and Michael Angarano is alright. The rest of the cast are adequate. On the flip side, 'Little Secrets' is no classic and it will vanish into oblivion among other teen flicks releasing every year. The direction is okay as Treu stays focused on Emily's story but at the same time he introduces too many themes that are tackled in a very sugarcoated and half-baked manner. Overall, it's a decent flick with a good performance by a confident young actress.

A very relaxing movie with real understanding of early teenage. Evan Rachel Wood plays a very interesting character with real passion. All the other child actors also did their respective jobs quite satisfactorily. The script is wonderfully written which makes it a perfect early-teen movie without being perky.

The ending somehow becomes a little too predictable and the story should have included more of Emily's darker side of nature. But I understand this film to be watched mostly by much younger audience, so I guess it's better to keep her character such near-perfect. In the end, the movie is definitely pleasant and relaxing to watch.

We rented the DVD of this movie the other night, and my daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Those who were hard on the violin faking are being slightly ridiculous, in my humble opinion. I have been playing the violin for 30 years, and in those years I've seen some truly HORRIBLE fake violin "playing" on TV and in movies...for example, Michael Landon as "Pa" in Little House on the Prairie didn't even BOTHER to put the bow on the strings...now HIS faking was laughable. The other night as we watched "Pride and Prejudice" (the A&E version), it was quite noticable that the string quartet was faking, and badly. They could at least attempt to put their bows on their strings! At least Ms. Wood held the violin correctly and moved her fingers sort of close to the rhythms being played. I thought she was one of the better fakers I've seen. According to the commentary on the DVD, she learned all of this by simply watching professional violinists on a tape the director gave her. I have been teaching my own daughter to play, and after two months, she still struggles to hold the bow and the violin correctly. It takes a lot of practice! I applaud Ms. Wood's efforts. Vivica A. Fox, on the other hand, could have used a little of the same kind of practice. But truly, the fake fiddling didn't detract from the story for me at all. They played some very lovely music, and overall, the soundtrack was simply delightful.

The plot of the movie was sweet and quite touching. The child actors were all top notch (particularly Ms Wood, David Angarro, and David Gallagher. I get so tired of seeing movies in which we are subjected to much too "real" situations that some children find themselves in...drug problems, divorce, etc. I found it refreshing that these children lived in a normal neighborhood as MOST Americans do. Sure, bad things happen to kids occasionally, but to dwell on the dark side of life is depressing, and not at all entertaining. This is a kid's movie (actually it's a family movie) and I appreciated that it was sweet and charming. I highly recommend it.