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A SECRET follows the saga of a Jewish family in post-World War II Paris. Francois, a solitary, imaginative child, invents for himself a brother as well as the story of his parents past. But on his fifteenth birthday, he discovers a dark family secret that ties his family s history to the Holocaust and shatters his illusions forever. Adapted from Philippe Grimbert`s celebrated truth-inspired novel MEMORY.
Interesting but LongReviewed by Cary B. Barad, 2010-01-27
A much too long film with an interesting premise, but one that has been touched on several times before in French cinema--i.e. someone uncovering, "What really happened" to one's family during a period of nationalistic bigotry, collaboration, and deadly religious persecution. Nonetheless, the acting is fine and the period costumes impeccable. Go for it if you're specifically interested in this historical era.
Typical French Grayness, Yet Artisitically Suave And SensitiveReviewed by Kafishna, 2009-12-20
I borrow movies from our libraries. They have a good selection of
French films. Just finished watching it today. There is a typical
French style of storytelling--nothing too direct, always something
left unsaid or about to be said. The excellent touch was using
color for the past and black and white for the present.
Conventional wisdom dictates that color for the present scenes and
to signify something of the past/or dream, use black and white. The
director/producer sent a subtle message by reversing the order.
Also of note the movie's not over using the Jewish issues--rather
using Jewish experience as a backdrop to draw a larger sketch of
universal human psyche, with color of love, jealousy, envy,
romance, hurt feelings of a neglected child, the paradox of love
and passion, guilt--a lot of things said in a rather short time,
very eloquently. The narrative of the movie was of matter of fact
style. I find it amusing how casually, yet necessarily, French
movies show the force of eros and sensuality. Look at the massage
session when the family friend gives the female main character a
massage. Speaking of erotic scence, it was very well-done--not
through groins and groping. But through the eyes of a male and
female. the longing and surrender, the animal desire in silence,
the expression of mutual understanding of two bodies-expressed
through minimum of sound and physical actions.
The music was good--nostalgic. I do not understand French, but got
the vibe of being in Paris, with cobblestone street and the normal,
spontaneous human friction. The movie will also interest
psychologists--it shows how a shadow is created in someone's mind
through repression and denial. What I find most interesting is that
the humanness of each character was the profound theme in every
scene. The political and social issues were peripheral--as if it
was there and the producer had nothing to do with it, and he did
not want to send any socio-political, even cultural message for
that matter, through this movie. What he/she wanted is to tell a
neat story of few lives centered on few points on the historical
canvas. Of course, tragedy of WW-II was unavoidable, but to me, the
lives came foremost.
Well, a good show, for a French movie, which to me are often
depressive.
The tragic aftermath of a love triangle set against the backdrop of
the HolocaustReviewed by z hayes, 2009-04-02
'A Secret' is a multi-layered movie that deals with myriad themes.
The central character is Francois Grimbert who has always had a
rather distant relationship with his father Maxime [Patrick Bruel].
As a young boy, Francois is not keen on sports and appears rather
frail [he was a four lb baby] and very unlike his athletic father
and swim champion mother Tania [Cecile de france]. His young mind
conjures a phantom brother that is very athletic and strong,
driving his parents to distraction. When Francois discovers a toy
in the family attic, secrets long hidden begin to unravel, thanks
mostly to a long-time family friend, Louise [Julie Depardieu] who
reveals all that she knows.
Told via a series of flashbacks, the story unfolds. Ironically, the
flashbacks to the past are portrayed in color, and the present
[where the now mature Francois goes to meet his old dad] is in
black and white. This is ideal as in this story, the past is of the
most significance. As the 15-year-old Francois learns, his
'imaginary' brother of childhood was very much real, and was called
Simon, much beloved by his father Maxime, and his mother Hannah
[Maxime's first wife]. As the story progresses, we learn of a
complex love triangle, involving Maxime, Hannah, and Tania. Maxime
first sets eyes on the gorgeous, blonde Tania at his wedding to
Hannah. At the time, Tania is married to Hannah's brother, but when
the Nazis begin expanding their power across Europe, Tania's
husband becomes a prisoner of war and this brings Tania closer to
Maxime and his family, which now includes the young Simon. As the
Nazis occupy France, Maxime refuses to wear the yellow star,
turning his back on his Jewish identity, much to the chagrin of
Hannah, who is proud of her heritage. Hannah also slowly realizes
to her horror that Maxime desires Tania, and this realization later
plays a tragic role in shaping the ultimate destiny of Hannah and
Simon.
The plot here may come across as incredibly convoluted, yet despite
the many layerings to the story, conveyed by the frequent
flashbacks, the plot flows well, almost seamless, and I could
easily follow the stories of the main characters.
This is a riveting human drama that not only portrays the
complexities of love and relationships, but also shows how the
French Jews, as portrayed by Maxime, his family and close friends
were affected by the Nazi occupation of France, and how the French
government basically turned its back on its Jewish citizens. Final
verdict: a well-made Holocaust-themed human drama.
A Frail, Imaginative Boy Finds Discovers Himself in a Sad Family
Secret.Reviewed by mirasreviews, 2009-03-20
"A Secret" (Un Secret) is a World War II drama based on the novel
of the same name by Phillipe Grimbert, which has also been
published under the title "Memory". It has a complex time
structure, shifting between 4 different time periods in the life of
Francois Grimbert and the earlier lives of his parents during the
War. Seven-year-old Francois (Valentin Vigourt) is frail, reclusive
boy living in the shadow of his athletic father Maxime (Patrick
Bruel) and beautiful mother Tania (Cecile De France) in 1955 Paris.
He finds a stuffed animal in the attic one day that elicits strong
and inexplicable reactions from his parents. Seven years later, his
neighbor and longtime family friend Louise (Julie Depardieu) tells
him the long-suppressed story of his parents' past that puts his
life in a new context.
A lot of films have been made about the struggles of French Jews
during World War II. Every time I see one, I think it's going to be
like all the others. But I'm usually wrong. For some reason, this
subject has produced great cinema in France. There is always a
restraint in how these stories are told, and the characters are
strong enough to engage the audience's interest, yet ordinary
enough to represent whole communities. "A Secret" is no exception.
Maxime, Tania, Louise, and, later, Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier) are
vibrant, sympathetic people no matter what they do. Sometimes I
wondered if the complex structure of this film was necessary or
beneficial (it was borrowed from the book). And I would liked to
have known more about Francois as an adult. But these characters
are captivating and their story is affecting.
The DVD (Strand Releasing 2009): The film is in French with English
subtitles that cannot be turned off. The only bonus feature is a
theatrical trailer.
Longing and Loving and the Precipice of WarReviewed by Grady Harp, 2009-03-13
Claude Miller has created one of the more challenging and intensely
human dramas about World War II in his film UN SECRET (A SECRET).
Though one of many stories about the plight of Jews during the
events that led up to and exploded into WW II, Miller's story is
less about the cruel destiny of the Jews in Hitler's plundering of
Europe than it is a study of a few individuals who struggled with
their identity in the face of probable extermination.
Based on a true story in Phillippe Grimbert's novel by the same
name, UN SECRET gracefully and artistically draws the viewer into
the psyche of the narrator François Grimbert (played at ages 7, 14
and 37 by Valentin Vigourt, Quentin Dubuis, and Matthew Almaric)
whose relationship to his father Maxime (Patrick Bruel) has always
been strained. The story winds from contemporary time, to the
period in France before WW II, through the horrors of the
Holocaust, and the years of rebuilding following the war.
Maxime `Grinberg' (Patrick Bruel) marries Hannah (Ludvine Sagnier)
in a beautiful Jewish wedding. Hannah's brother is married to a
brilliant athlete Tania (Cecile De France) and even at the wedding
the equally athletic Maxime has eyes for Tania. All possible
conflicts seem to diminish when Maxime and Hannah have a son, Simon
(Orlando Nicoletti) who develops into a naturally gifted athlete -
the joy of Maxime's life. As WW II approaches the Jews of Paris are
instructed to wear their yellow Star of David patches, and while
Hannah feels pride in her ancestry, Maxime refuses to be `labeled'
and defies the ruling. When the SS come to transport Jews out of
Paris, Hannah and Simon are removed to a camp while Maxime manages
to stay in Paris with a new French name. Popular as a fashion model
and designer, Tania is able to stay unnoticed as a Jew also, but
her husband is off to war and extermination. Maxime and Tania learn
of their families' demise and bond, eventually marrying using
French names (Grimberg becomes Grimbert), join the Catholic Church
and have a son - François - who is nothing like Simon nor does he
know of his father's rejection of him as a poor comparison to the
perfect Simon But as the years pass François discovers his
family's past and a reconciliation with his Jewish heritage
confronts him. How the maturing François ultimately relates to his
distant father brings closure to the story.
The cast is excellent, gifted actors all, especially in some of the
lesser roles (eg. the ever-present Louise (Julie Depardieu). Claude
Miller's recreation of time lapses is successfully highlighted by
interchanging black and white with color photography (by
cinematographer Gérard de Battista) and the changing moods of the
story are greatly enhanced by the musical score by Zibigniew
Preisner. UN SECRET, then, is a stunning work that explains many
aspects of the varying responses of Jews to that horrid period of
history designed by Hitler. It is a deeply satisfying and
profoundly moving film. In French with English subtitles. Highly
recommended. Grady Harp, March 09
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