Secret Smile

I had the misfortune of missing the first part of this mini-drama. How foolish do I feel now? Incredibly. From what I have seen though, wow! Brief summary: woman dates man, woman dumps man, spurned lover tries to get his own back any way he can. I had previously seen David Tennant in Casanova and found him to have an irresistible charm.Tennant's television history as I know it was based in comedy and so I was intrigued to see him starring in a thriller.However, he did not fail to impress me in Secret Smile. His portrayal of a spurned lover hell bent on revenge was both captivating and chilling. One can see how charming he is but one constantly has to remind oneself about what he really is. The supporting cast are amazing. I did not think Claire Goose would be able to make the transition from soap acting in Casualty to such a serious drama. However, I was pleasantly surprised and her role showed how easily people can be controlled and manipulated. Furthermore, I admit I was not enamoured with Kate Ashfield until now. You were with her every step of the way, feeling her anger and frustration. It is not very often that such a suspenseful drama that actually holds you to your seat comes along. Television nowadays has become highly predictable but I am pleased to say that this was not. It was a superbly acted and directed piece. Best performance must go to Tennant. He was able to capture and exemplify how easy it is to dominate one person and how deep an impact that it can have.This is highly prevalent in a society where stalking and domestic violence remains taboo. I was afraid that Tennant would lose his edge with going to mainstream television, but if this is anything to go by, I had nothing to worry about.

Oh, Yawn. Not another chick flick where the men are all pigs and the women will get even for the abuse they suffered. The only difference is that, in this film, everybody's a pig or has mush for brains. I hated this film for the moral issue of why it's right to send a man to prison for life for a murder he didn't commit. Is that a more immoral act than his abuse and deviousness. This movie shows all the situational ethics of bad writing. I saw it on the CBC's "Best of Britain" series. If this is Britain's best, no wonder the British film industry is in trouble.

The only bright spot in this film was David Tennant, He plays his character as so despicable that I'm likely to spit on the next person who speaks with a Scottish accent. Kate Ashfield tries to play the victim but comes off in the end as immorally devious as David Tennant's character. They deserve each other.

In the mush for brains category are the parents who see nothing wrong with the obviously psychotic Brendan. English policemen are made out to be so incompetent that they're unfit to give out traffic tickets. The British Policeman's Union should sue the makers of this film for defamation.

This film isn't worth the electricity it takes to run your DVD to watch it.

this film was actually one of the best films that i've seen and the fact that David Tennant was in the film made me want to see it after his brilliant appearance in Casanova and not to mention Doctor Who. i felt like it was my duty to see this film and considering that i don't usually watch anything that appears on ITV1 unless it's a film that i am sure of. David Tennant's appearance stunned me and i really like the last few minutes. great film, i'd recommend it to anyone, any time, any day. The whole film gave me shivers and the cold, cruel character that David Tennant played was such an indescribable character and my god it is now my favourite film. I was told that i should watch it because it's my sort of film and not to be mean but the beginning bored me a bit but i soon got the gist of the film nd went with the flow. there is so much that i want to say about how i feel towards the film but the only problem is how to put it into words. The film was great, Tennant was even better (not to mention sexy), and the plot was very cool,too. i wish that i had been there when the film was actually being made as it makes me want to cry yet it also makes me want to kill some of the characters. I'd never seen David Tennant play such a chilling and mysterious character before and it was such an abrupt change from his character as the Doctor and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet). This film is a must-see so make it top of your priority's to see this film J.

I would have to disagree with the comments made previously. Secret Smile was a complete breath of fresh air to drama. The characters were unusual and that is what made it an absolute triumph. I'm glad that Miranda mumbled, it shows her passiveness and lack of control in the situation. It's different that her sister was the weak one because in the end, we see the dominating character that was Brendan fooled by his own game, by the people we perceived as weak. So what if Troy isn't a class example of you depression. Who cares if you have a degree in Psychology? You're just bitter because it isn't they way you studied depression. It's fiction. Get Over It. Forget all the factual stuff of depression and the psychology behind. Fair enough I don't have the degree, but I found it truly though-provoking and found myself comparing my personality to the persona of some of the characters. It's good that I connect with the programme because you want to be fooled into thinking. Nobody has time to pick out all the certain flaws in a television programme. I loved Secret Smile and it certainly fooled me. And that my friend was pure elite drama.

I have a degree in architecture-but I don't go around claiming to be an architect. So let me be clear: if you're watching Secret Smile with a psychology degree in one hand and a checklist of forensic realism in the other, you're missing the point entirely.

This is not a procedural. This is a psychological thriller. And like real psychological abuse, it doesn't unfold in a courtroom-it unfolds in gaslit family dinners, charming smiles that hide rot, and the unbearable silence when no one believes you.

David Tennant's performance as Brendan is chilling because it's real. If you've ever dealt with a sociopath, a narcissist, or someone who weaponizes charm, you know exactly how fast they get into your life-and how easily they turn your friends and family against you.

Some reviewers complain about the victim being "slutty" or "selfish." Let me translate that for you: she wasn't obedient enough to be palatable. She had sex, she had fear, and she had no perfect script. That's not a flaw in the writing. That's accurate.

And the family not believing her? Also accurate. Because this is how emotional abusers operate: they isolate, they ingratiate, and they discredit the victim while smiling through the front door.

If you thought the ending was "unrealistic," you've clearly never been cornered. Never had to plan your own escape because no one else would help. The blood twist isn't fantasy-it's desperation turned into strategy.

To the American audience expecting clear heroes and villains, digestible diagnoses, and perfect courtroom monologues: go back to your network dramas. Secret Smile isn't here to comfort you. It's here to show you how evil wears a grin, and how survival doesn't come wrapped in justice-it comes wrapped in scars and silence.

This story hit me hard because I've lived through gaslighting. I've seen charm weaponized. And I know exactly what it means to walk away with no vindication-just the knowledge that you made it out alive.

So if you hated this show? Maybe it was too close to home. Maybe that discomfort wasn't the show's failure-it was your signal to pay attention.