Every Secret Thing

Despite a very talented cast the movie fails to deliver. I did not enjoy it. The storyline is intriguing at first but it's too slow paced and there's no satisfaction at the end and no expectations as to what motivated the characters. The acting is ok but the editing and filming are not. The movie is so dark. Did they run out of money for lightning? Some scenes you can barely see anything on the screen. The story also goes nowhere. I wanted to understand who did what and why. What made two young girls commit such a terrible crime? Why is the mother acting so weird to her own daughter? Why was the baby even alone? Who was charged with what and why? Why aren't the detectives doing their jobs? Are there no cameras in the mall? No witnesses? No leads? The way the story is developing is just not right and it doesn't even make sense if you really think about it. I really can't recommend this movie. It was mostly depressing, bizarre and overall disappointing.

A three year old child goes missing in a small town where two teenage girls live, girls who had been recently released from prisoned for a previous child kidnapping and murder. Needless to say, suspicion soon falls on them.

The central idea in this film recalls the notorious British crime, the Jamie Bulger case. In this instance two young boys kidnapped and killed a toddler. It created a media storm and has remained notorious ever since. For this reason, the ideas underpinning this story are based on controversial ground but the film itself is handled in a very understated manner. It's partly a police procedural mystery and part psychological drama. Of the former, it is perhaps not as intriguing as it could be, although admittedly it does have some twists and turns; of the latter it is perhaps more successful where it looks at why a couple of damaged girls and one mother act the way they do. It's an efficient film, rather than an especially good one but it did keep my interest from start to finish.

If you enjoy character driven crime movies then this should satisfy. I can best describe it as a movie version of a Law and Order episode, like SVU or Criminal Intent. I loved Law and Order so that wasn't a problem for me. The story here is tragic rather than a taunt thriller. There are some question marks. In both the abduction cases there seems to be a lack of police boots on the ground, and it's true that no-one tends to leave an infant on a front porch, but then again, that detail is a defensive flashback on the part of the two naive perpetrators, both of whom were too young to truly realise what they were really doing, and boots on the ground may be one of those details that is assumed. Every Secret Thing is a solid story with very capable actors. I was genuinely surprised by the ending. The movie is a careful process that allows one to think, to be outraged, to understand, to forgive, and feel, and that, after all is what movies are supposed to do. This is a cautionary tale well worth visiting.

"They've taken a child thinking it's mine, why are you still sitting here asking questions?" After a young child is taken Detective Porter (Banks) begins to investigate two prime suspects Ronnie Fuller (Fanning) and Alice Manning. These two girls recently were released from juvenile prison for the kidnapping and murder of a small infant. All signs point to Ronnie but she insists she is innocent. It is up to Detective Porter to find the missing girl before it's too late. This is a difficult movie to review. I do have to admit that it was a good movie and the acting was great. The movie was very gripping and it made me want to keep watching to find out what was going to happen next. That said the movie is also very difficult to watch. There is nothing all that graphic, but the subject matter is very disturbing and parents of young children may struggle with this. All that said though this is a very good movie and fans of shows like Law and Order: SVU or movies like The Lovely Bones and Reclaim will like this one as well. Overall, a very good movie with a great story and acting but it is a little difficult to watch in parts. I give this a B.

I just read some of the longest reviews in history which totally missed the point . . . women are human, and will behave as such, which is fascinating. The only problem for me as a father was the baby being left alone on the front porch, none of my babysitters would have done this even on a bad day. Been looking forward to this one for a while and was a bit disappointed to be honest, it could have been exceptional with a few changes.

I believe this film is worth a view as long as you are not expecting too much. Elizabeth Banks is solid as is Diane Lane and the other actors, directing is decent. OK movie based on good writing. 5/10