Nowhere

Gotta love a movie that punches you in the solar plexus and warms your heart in equal measure. The ordeal this poor mother is put through is harrowing but her unflinching pursuit of the truth is extraordinary. Channel your inner mummy bear and go along for the ride (oh, and pack a sweater, it's cold out).

I can't say i expected a lot coming in to this movie, but with the state of hollywood these days, i'm left searching through these type of low budget/indies looking for a gem... this wasn't one of them. The acting was poor, not horrible, but not anywhere near good. the cinematography was very 'made for tv', the score was soft, the story telling had a few holes... you can see how this all adds up to low score. i would honestly give this movie s lower score, but, as a single parent who moved from big city life to small town bible belt, i figured this would hit home a little harder... the only problem was this movie had no strength.

The hell?

Interesting camera work? Efficient pacing? Competent acting? Unintrusive, complementary music, realistic dialogue and, to top it all of, dexterous direction leading to a solid structure and consistency in quality?

IN MY LIFETIME MOVIE?!

...Have I landed in the wrong universe again?

Claire Porter and her daughter Sarah move to a small town from Chicago. She is the new vice principal. Sarah is a basketball jock. The undefeated high school team is coached by Ruth Simmons. After showing out against the team, Sarah is invited to join and the team is having a party for her. Next day, Claire can't find her daughter.

This is good Lifetime. The no-name cast and the limited production do restrict it to B-movie territory. Maybe I've seen the coach from somewhere before. The mystery could be held back for a little longer. I don't like the TV showing the pulling of the table cloth. It cheapens the climatic scene.

"Secrets in a Small Town" is a solid movie by any standard. By Lifetime movie standards, it's excellent. That's not a knock on Lifetime movies. I watch them all the time but you know what I mean. This movie was suspenseful and heartbreaking at the same time. Kate Drummond gives an excellent performance. The rest of the cast is good as well. The only demerit I give this movie is that it uses the old "true story" thing. I'm not so sure it is. But that doesn't really matter, "Secrets in a Small Town" is a very good watch.