Secrets & Lies poster

Secrets & Lies

Roxanne drives her mother crazy. Maurice never speaks to his niece. Cynthia has a shock for her family. Monica can't talk to her husband. Hortense has never met her mother.

7.6(757)19962h 22m4

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.

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Status
Released
Budget
$4.5M
Box office
$13.4M
Language
Greek
  • london, england
  • parent child relationship
  • adoption
  • socially deprived family
  • reunion
  • candid
  • loving

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Director

Mike Leigh

Writers

Mike Leigh

Produced in

United Kingdom, France

Where to watch

All options

Availability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.

Gallery

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Videos

Release dates

  • United StatesUS

    • PremiereNew York Film Festival27 Sept 1996
    • Theatrical (limited)R27 Sept 1996
    • PremiereChicago International Film Festival10 Oct 1996
    • Theatrical20 Feb 1997
    • PhysicalRVHS15 Apr 1997
    • PhysicalRLaserDisc11 Jun 1997
    • PhysicalRDVD1 Feb 2005
    • PhysicalRThe Criterion Collection Blu-ray30 Mar 2021
    • Digital / OTTRKanopy21 Jan 2022
  • United KingdomGB

    • Theatrical1524 May 1996
    • Physical15VHS29 Sept 1997
    • TVChannel 412 Apr 1998
    • Physical15DVD16 Aug 2001
    • Physical15Blu-ray2 Mar 2015
    • Physical15The Criterion Collection Blu-ray 26 Apr 2021
    • PremiereBFI Southbank25 Oct 2021
  • AustraliaAU

    • TheatricalM5 Sept 1996
  • CanadaCA

    • Theatrical27 Sept 1996
    • TVShowcase9 Feb 2002
  • ArgentinaAR

    • PremiereMar del Plata Film Festival15 Nov 1996
    • Theatrical27 Feb 1997
  • BelgiumBE

    • Theatrical18 Sept 1996
  • BrazilBR

    • TheatricalL mj.gov.br - Leda Films15 Nov 1996
    • TVL2 Oct 2000
    • Physical12DVD1 Jan 2017
  • ChinaCN

    • PremiereShanghai International Film Festival10 Jun 2023
  • CzechiaCZ

    • PremiereKarlovy Vary International Film Festival1 Jul 1996
    • Theatrical (limited)UProjekt 10029 Jan 1998
    • Theatrical29 Jan 1998
    • PremiereFebio Film Festival3 Apr 2009
  • DenmarkDK

    • PremiereCopenhagen Film Festival13 Sept 1996
    • Theatrical11 Oct 1996
  • FinlandFI

    • Theatrical11 Oct 1996
    • PremiereEspoo Film Festival24 Aug 2009
  • FranceFR

    • PremiereCannes Film Festival10 May 1996
    • TheatricalTP18 Sept 1996
    • PhysicalTPVHS1 Sept 1997
    • PremiereCherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish and British Film12 Oct 2000
    • PhysicalTPDVD1 Oct 2006
    • TVCanal+ Grand Écran22 May 2026

Frequently asked questions

Secrets & Lies was released on 24 May 1996.

Audience reviews

5
  • C

    CRCulver

    5/27/2018

    8/10

    SECRETS AND LIES is a 1996 film by Mike Leigh that, appropriately enough, is concerned with the things that members of a family conceal from each other. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a black woman in London who has made a successful career as an optician, knew from a young age that she was adopted, but only after her adopted mother's death does she decide to look up her birth mother. Hortense is shocked to fi…

  • P

    Peter McGinn

    8/23/2020

    10/10

    If I ever get around to drawing up a list of my top 25 favorite non-blockbuster movies, Secrets and Lies would roll in very near the top. I have watched it a few times and expect I will continue to do so periodically. The acting is phenomenal. It is an ensemble cast, for sure, no superstars, but three of the main actors: Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn and Claire Rushbrook, are among the best that Great Britain has …

  • F

    Filipe Manuel Neto

    5/20/2023

    6/10

    **A good work, currently forgotten.** Just when I think I've seen all sorts of movies about racism, issues of race or prejudice, there's something new that comes out of nowhere, or some meritorious, well-made effort that's worth seeing. This film, initially, seemed to me just a sweet and average drama in which a black woman, very successful, decides to discover the identity of her biological mother and discovers t…

  • G

    griggs79

    12/2/2024

    9/10

    _Secrets & Lies_ is a compelling film that delves into the themes of family, identity, and the profound impact of shame on relationships. It skillfully intertwines raw emotion with a sense of honesty that reverberates throughout the narrative. The performances are remarkably authentic, fostering a strong connection with the characters and their struggles with their own secrets. The dialogue feels genuine and relat…

  • C

    CinemaSerf

    12/26/2025

    7/10

    I reckon the fact that so many nations put this on their awards radar must suggest a lot of resonance with families, not just in Britain, who are having to come to terms with a myriad of contentious circumstances as they try to live day to day. This centres around the drink-loving “Cynthia” (Brenda Blethyn) who lives with a daughter “Roxanne” (Claire Rushbrook) who has a lively rapport with her boyfriend “Paul” (Lee …

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