Directed by Yuval Adler (Bethlehem; The Operative) and starring Noomi Rapace (Millennium; Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; Prometheus; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Child 44), Joel Kinnaman (The Killing; The Informer; Suicide Squad; The Darkest Hour; Hanna (TV Series); House of Cards (TV Series)) and Chris Messina (Argo; Julie & Julia; Vicky Cristina Barcelona; The Mindy Project (TV Series)).
Drama/thriller; 97 mins; 16+
Set in the late 1950s in a small town in America, Maja (Noomi Rapace) is married to the local doctor, Lewis (Chris Messina), and live together with their young boy. One day her seemingly peaceful life is shattered when she spots someone she thinks she recognises from her past. She follows Thomas (Joel Kinnaman) and ends up kidnapping him and even tries to kill him.
What transpires then on screen is her trying to remember an incident that happened during WWII in Europe (where Maja and Lewis met) and whether she was partly responsible for her sister's death after they fled a concentration camp, and where she also seeks vengeance. It also portrays individuals, couples and families trying to lead normal lives after the atrocities that were committed during wartime, and how deep some of the wounds and scars go in one's mind.
Slow at times, intense in others, The Secrets We Keep is a gripping drama-cum-thriller which unravels the back-stories of all three lead characters. But it centres around Maja who tries to get Thomas to admit that her intuition is correct, and who also tries to convince her husband that revelations about her past are indeed true.
There are great acting performances by all three lead actors, with the house decor (both inside and out), wardrobe and vehicles matching perfectly the period in which the film is set.
Currently screening at Kinepolis-Kirchberg and Kinepolis-Belval.
