Um Passado Sombrio

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.

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.

I actually enjoyed this. It kept me interested, and I did enjoy the plot twist towards the end

"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.

Every Secret Thing is a mystery drama about the previous murder of a young girl and the search for a currently missing girl. It mainly relates to the two young adults who were found guilty of the death of a young girl 7 years previously and who are now suspects in the current missing girl case.

The film is very well paced and totally enthralling. It uses flashbacks very effectively to show what could of happened during the previous murder so you don't really know who was responsible until the end of the film.

The strong cast featuring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Nate Parker are excellent but special mention goes to Danielle Macdonald who I'd never heard of previously who does a brilliant job as Alice Manning.

You never know how the film will end up and I found the very end of the film to be especially chilling. The only negative I can find is that I thought the film could have been a little longer in length.

It's quite rare to find decent intelligent dramas these days but this small effort really does hit the mark. Highly recommended.