59 reviews
Two persons trying to cope with the past: a splendid Sarah Polley and (as always) a great Tim Robbins. This is a smart and very interesting film about the way we try to escape from the past: with love and with words (and with silences). I also enjoyed the rest of the characters: it is amazing how they are described with small details here and there, and you finish the movie wanting to know more about the rest of the cast. Isabel Coixet did a splendid work here of portrayal of the more inner parts of the human soul. Please check the music of the film, the selection is really good and all the songs fit brilliantly in the plot of the film.
In Ireland, the introspective deaf worker Hanna (Sarah Polley) is forced to take vacations by her boss after four years service in a factory. She travels, but when she overhears a phone conversation in a restaurant, she offers to nurse a burned worker with fractures and temporarily blind in a decommissioned oil rig. Joseph (Tim Robbins) seriously wounded after risking his life to rescue a colleague that committed suicide jumping in a fire and need to stay for a while in the platform to stabilize his health condition. Hanna is a lonely woman, with the paranoid behavior of eating white rice, chicken nuggets and apple everyday and never repeating the soap, and she slowly interacts with the few workers first, opening her heart to Joseph later and disclosing her traumatic experience in her old country.
"The Secret Life of Words" is a touching and heartbreaking romance, with an awesome screenplay and wonderful performances of Sarah Polley and Tim Robbins. The dramatic story develops perfectly the characters and in spite of the happy-end, it is never corny. The sensitive direction of Isabel Coixet, from the stunning "My Life Without Me" with the same Sarah Polley, is top-notch again. The process of re-socialization of Hanna, who was dead inside and reborn after meeting Joseph, is intense. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Vida Secreta das Palavras" ("The Secret Life of Words")
"The Secret Life of Words" is a touching and heartbreaking romance, with an awesome screenplay and wonderful performances of Sarah Polley and Tim Robbins. The dramatic story develops perfectly the characters and in spite of the happy-end, it is never corny. The sensitive direction of Isabel Coixet, from the stunning "My Life Without Me" with the same Sarah Polley, is top-notch again. The process of re-socialization of Hanna, who was dead inside and reborn after meeting Joseph, is intense. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "A Vida Secreta das Palavras" ("The Secret Life of Words")
- claudio_carvalho
- Aug 2, 2008
- Permalink
Those of you who have seen Isabel Coixet's first film- My Life without Me- shouldn't miss this one. Like that film, this has a tragic-romantic essence at its core. A very well-written script, with a handful of themes, superbly acted, and direction/editing/score/soundtrack all good to very good (at times excellent). Dense, literate, and increasingly absorbing. By no means your mainstream action flick; yet this movie should find a large audience in those who like 'independent films' (or 'European', for Americans). Filmed in Ireland (much shot indoors), and entirely in English. A very satisfying drama- I found it even better than 'l'Enfant', which took top prize at this past Cannes Film Festival. Both are highly recommended...enjoy.
- paulscofield68
- Nov 4, 2005
- Permalink
I went to see this last Isabel Coixet's movie three hours ago and its beautiful and powerful story is still bouncing in my head... the sea, Tim Robbin's eyes, Hanna's beautiful voice and her intense way of holding her feelings, Simon's delightful food in the middle of nowhere..
The way it is conceived is somehow simple, a mysterious woman, in my opinion extremely well resolved by Sarah Polley, happens to arrive to a remote place where a bunch of loners have just had a deep dramatic experience. As explicitly mentioned in the movie, 'God makes them..' ('Dios los cria'.., in Spanish), and so as she gets there she expands and relaxes in this environment where no one really expects anything from anybody.
The takes are so beautiful, the thousand different feelings that the same isolated landscape in the middle of the sea projects through the movie is unbeatable. The cast of characters is solid, and the supporting characters are developed enough so as to allow the viewer to understand, in basic terms, what brought them there.
Finally, the use of Tom Waits for the final transition is sublime! but, yeah, how could it not be? Tom Waits's music is the music for these films where the very deep of the heart is at stake.
So, yes, I do recommend this movie for anyone who cares or wants to care or would like to be able to care about people who have been profoundly wounded at some point. And this, I am afraid, hopefully includes you. Thanks Isabel.
The way it is conceived is somehow simple, a mysterious woman, in my opinion extremely well resolved by Sarah Polley, happens to arrive to a remote place where a bunch of loners have just had a deep dramatic experience. As explicitly mentioned in the movie, 'God makes them..' ('Dios los cria'.., in Spanish), and so as she gets there she expands and relaxes in this environment where no one really expects anything from anybody.
The takes are so beautiful, the thousand different feelings that the same isolated landscape in the middle of the sea projects through the movie is unbeatable. The cast of characters is solid, and the supporting characters are developed enough so as to allow the viewer to understand, in basic terms, what brought them there.
Finally, the use of Tom Waits for the final transition is sublime! but, yeah, how could it not be? Tom Waits's music is the music for these films where the very deep of the heart is at stake.
So, yes, I do recommend this movie for anyone who cares or wants to care or would like to be able to care about people who have been profoundly wounded at some point. And this, I am afraid, hopefully includes you. Thanks Isabel.
I understand the commentary about the revelation of pain but the most significant 'lesson' for me was the insidious horror of war - in a film without bloodshed - and obviously the lingering effects of man's inhumanity to man. The slow reveal of the characters' backgrounds crept up on me and to my surprise left me absolutely gutted at the film's conclusion -and for some time after. I was left with a feeling of emotional and physical grief that i have not felt since my father died - the uncontrollable tide of internal pain. While a completely different genre, it reminded me of Sophie's Choice but in comparison made Streep's horror look like a walk in the park. Polley is amazing. What human's do to each other is tragic beyond description. And yet, we continue to torture our fellow humans and apparently fail to learn from our mistakes.
I have seen the movie and I have to say its just beautiful, no its not the slow, easy going romantic love story....it is difficult, critical and poetic. there is no action, its just about those 2 people, who are lonely, and experienced things in their lives nobody could imagine. this movie makes you think, think about your life, about your love about the world.
i can recommend it to everybody, who likes little quiet movies, which touch you go watch it, the 2 main actors are brilliant. sarah polley plays here role, with a heartbreaking truth, tim robbins (susan sarandons husband) does a great job as well.
i can recommend it to everybody, who likes little quiet movies, which touch you go watch it, the 2 main actors are brilliant. sarah polley plays here role, with a heartbreaking truth, tim robbins (susan sarandons husband) does a great job as well.
Great performances, an original idea, good script - it's just a great movie, which nobody I know has seen.
I have no idea why this one didn't get better distribution, it certainly deserves it. The little quirks of the characters liven up the story, as does the interaction between Polley's disturbed nurse and Robbin's rough patient. Although you could see the ending coming a mile away, that was fine, as it seemed that was what was supposed to happen.
This is a good one when you're in the mood for a somewhat dark drama with romantic overtones. The romance doesn't get too much in the way of the drama, the drama doesn't go overboard into melodrama.
I have no idea why this one didn't get better distribution, it certainly deserves it. The little quirks of the characters liven up the story, as does the interaction between Polley's disturbed nurse and Robbin's rough patient. Although you could see the ending coming a mile away, that was fine, as it seemed that was what was supposed to happen.
This is a good one when you're in the mood for a somewhat dark drama with romantic overtones. The romance doesn't get too much in the way of the drama, the drama doesn't go overboard into melodrama.
Gently compassionate work describes the unusual relationship between a hearing impaired, anti-social nurse and the burn victim she takes care of on a desolate oil rig. It is a slow character piece which takes a little while to settle into any sort of admirable rhythm, though by the end older viewers should be thankful they were patient. To call the script underdeveloped would be a little unfair; there are plenty of details thrown in to keep a mild level of interest, but not until the final act does the film really offer anything of substance.
Until then we still have the strangely involving lead performance of Sarah Polley, painfully alluring in a way few stateside actresses can manage, commanding attention in a difficult role. Her foreign accent may sound generic, but she more then makes up for any dialect shortcomings with a brooding, subtle characterization which serves to keep viewers interested in learning what she is really all about. Polley still has not received the attention she deserves, and The Secret Life of Words only continues to prove her loyalty lies in her craft and not to her popularity or finances. She stars opposite Tim Robbins who plays the burn victim she begins to treat. Robbins, who has been on the decline as of late, does a decent job here. His main requirement is to lay in bed and wince from pain, so it is achieved fairly easy; the majority of emotional content falls on Polley's minimalist nuances.
Until a late-act explanation is provided to justify Polley's extreme behavior, the movie is a difficult one to gauge. It often feels that until that point the filmmaker relies on protracted ambiguity to fill out a running time. The oil rig location is appropriate and occasionally shot in an impressive way but for the most part is not really taken advantage of. Rightfully so, the intimate focus upon these two principal characters dominates Isabel Coixet's work, but it will only be late into the film that you will realize why. A slow, underwhelming relationship movie that redeems itself with a powerful finish.
Until then we still have the strangely involving lead performance of Sarah Polley, painfully alluring in a way few stateside actresses can manage, commanding attention in a difficult role. Her foreign accent may sound generic, but she more then makes up for any dialect shortcomings with a brooding, subtle characterization which serves to keep viewers interested in learning what she is really all about. Polley still has not received the attention she deserves, and The Secret Life of Words only continues to prove her loyalty lies in her craft and not to her popularity or finances. She stars opposite Tim Robbins who plays the burn victim she begins to treat. Robbins, who has been on the decline as of late, does a decent job here. His main requirement is to lay in bed and wince from pain, so it is achieved fairly easy; the majority of emotional content falls on Polley's minimalist nuances.
Until a late-act explanation is provided to justify Polley's extreme behavior, the movie is a difficult one to gauge. It often feels that until that point the filmmaker relies on protracted ambiguity to fill out a running time. The oil rig location is appropriate and occasionally shot in an impressive way but for the most part is not really taken advantage of. Rightfully so, the intimate focus upon these two principal characters dominates Isabel Coixet's work, but it will only be late into the film that you will realize why. A slow, underwhelming relationship movie that redeems itself with a powerful finish.
- oneloveall
- May 5, 2007
- Permalink
This is an interesting and thought-provoking drama in adequate length and yet with an air of naturalness and credibility . Including a dramatic and brooding screenplay by the same filmmaker . Hannah (Sarah Polley , Coixet wrote the role for her) is a factory worker who wears a hearing aid , she is forced to go on holiday , her first one in years . She doesn't want it and instead , Hannah arranges to find a job : caring for Josef (Tim Robbins who used contact lenses that damaged his eyes) , an injured oil rig worker who temporarily lost his sight . Hannah flies by helicopter to the oil rig (the name was Gaviota, but Coixet changed it into Genefke) . There she meets some workers , but is almost no one on the rig , except a cook (Javier Cámara) , an oceanographer and a few others .
Good but downbeat and sad film in which stands out its moving finale . The film tells the touching story of two protagonists , conflicting trajectory of a hapless , introspective woman and a man whom she tends who is suffering from severe burns . She then slowly breaks her shell of silence and to be discovered a terrifying truth . This is a thought-provoking as well as pleasant flick filmed with great sensitivity and feeling . Interesting script by Isabel Coixet who wrote the role of Hannah with 'Sarah Polley' in mind , she knows very well inter-cross these two troublesome roles , a woman who have not been able to vanquish his dark past and suffering a fateful existence as well as a severely wounded rig worker . The picture is very engaging as well as provoking , though some infinite sadness follows the film at times . The flick moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few disconcerting . It's an intelligent and touching story although sometimes is slow moving and tiring but is finely developed with sense of style and sensibility . Enjoyable as well as intense drama filled with emotion , artistic scenes and plenty of sensitivity . The picture relies heavily on the unusual relationship among a unfortunate , frustrated nurse who has suffered a lot of past distresses and an understanding ill , but it doesn't makes boring , as it results to be entertaining . The film enjoys a breeze as well as moving final , and gives us much to think about it and in which doesn't deceive or dramatize unnecessarily . Along these lines , it is clear that writer/filmmaker Coixet tries to create an unforgettable picture . Apart from that , it has a touch Pedro Almodóvar , producer too , that always feels good . The picture is primarily supported by sensational players with good acting all around . All of them carry out their characters to perfection and show a look that says it all . As the excellent Sarah Polley as a hearing impaired who gives up her holiday and travels out to an oil rig , where she cares for a man and magnificent Tim Robbins as a burn victim on an accident . The support cast is frankly nice , such as : Reg Wilson , Steven Mackintosh , Eddie Marsan , Julie Christie , Danny Cunningham , Leonor Watling , many of them giving brief but agreeable interpretations . Special mention for Javier Cámara as a sympathetic cook . Emotive and stirring musical plenty of wonderful songs . Appropriate and evocative cinematography by Jean-Claude Larrieu . Most of the film locations are around an oil rig . Being shot on location as the oil rig used was the Borgholm Dolphin rig that was docked in Belfast at the time . Takes of the oil rig were shot in Belfast and Bilbao . Interior scenes were filmed in Navalcarnero (Madrid, Spain). The movie is dedicated the founder of IRCT -played by Julie Christie- . IRCT is an organization that promotes and supports the rehabilitation of torture victims and works for the prevention of torture worldwide .
The motion picture was professional though slowly directed by Isabel Coixet . Here director Coixet mixes dull stretches with some really sensitive scenes . Coixet is an acclaimed Spanish filmmaker who has previously found international success with Elegy and The Secret Life of Words and she's the camera operator of her movies . Isabel never went to film school but she got a lot of education from commercials and really put in enough hours not to be in any way afraid of the camera . She founded her own production company , Miss Wasabi Films, in 2000 . And was member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2009 . Coixet has some fetish actresses who usually play his films , such as : Sarah Polley , Leonor Watling and Patricia Clarkson . Her filmography includes other feature films such as 'Cosas Que Nunca Dije' (Things I Never Told You) (1995), Elegy (2008), 'Mapa De Sonidos De Tokio' (Map of the Sounds of Tokyo) (2009), and the two latest 'Ayer No Termina Nunca' (Yesterday Never Ends) (2014) and 'Learning to Drive' (2013) and a thriller titled 'Another me' with Sophie Turner ; besides documentary films, shorts and commercials . And recent premiere in Berlin Festival of 'Nobody Wants the Night' (2015) starred by Juliette Binoche .
Good but downbeat and sad film in which stands out its moving finale . The film tells the touching story of two protagonists , conflicting trajectory of a hapless , introspective woman and a man whom she tends who is suffering from severe burns . She then slowly breaks her shell of silence and to be discovered a terrifying truth . This is a thought-provoking as well as pleasant flick filmed with great sensitivity and feeling . Interesting script by Isabel Coixet who wrote the role of Hannah with 'Sarah Polley' in mind , she knows very well inter-cross these two troublesome roles , a woman who have not been able to vanquish his dark past and suffering a fateful existence as well as a severely wounded rig worker . The picture is very engaging as well as provoking , though some infinite sadness follows the film at times . The flick moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few disconcerting . It's an intelligent and touching story although sometimes is slow moving and tiring but is finely developed with sense of style and sensibility . Enjoyable as well as intense drama filled with emotion , artistic scenes and plenty of sensitivity . The picture relies heavily on the unusual relationship among a unfortunate , frustrated nurse who has suffered a lot of past distresses and an understanding ill , but it doesn't makes boring , as it results to be entertaining . The film enjoys a breeze as well as moving final , and gives us much to think about it and in which doesn't deceive or dramatize unnecessarily . Along these lines , it is clear that writer/filmmaker Coixet tries to create an unforgettable picture . Apart from that , it has a touch Pedro Almodóvar , producer too , that always feels good . The picture is primarily supported by sensational players with good acting all around . All of them carry out their characters to perfection and show a look that says it all . As the excellent Sarah Polley as a hearing impaired who gives up her holiday and travels out to an oil rig , where she cares for a man and magnificent Tim Robbins as a burn victim on an accident . The support cast is frankly nice , such as : Reg Wilson , Steven Mackintosh , Eddie Marsan , Julie Christie , Danny Cunningham , Leonor Watling , many of them giving brief but agreeable interpretations . Special mention for Javier Cámara as a sympathetic cook . Emotive and stirring musical plenty of wonderful songs . Appropriate and evocative cinematography by Jean-Claude Larrieu . Most of the film locations are around an oil rig . Being shot on location as the oil rig used was the Borgholm Dolphin rig that was docked in Belfast at the time . Takes of the oil rig were shot in Belfast and Bilbao . Interior scenes were filmed in Navalcarnero (Madrid, Spain). The movie is dedicated the founder of IRCT -played by Julie Christie- . IRCT is an organization that promotes and supports the rehabilitation of torture victims and works for the prevention of torture worldwide .
The motion picture was professional though slowly directed by Isabel Coixet . Here director Coixet mixes dull stretches with some really sensitive scenes . Coixet is an acclaimed Spanish filmmaker who has previously found international success with Elegy and The Secret Life of Words and she's the camera operator of her movies . Isabel never went to film school but she got a lot of education from commercials and really put in enough hours not to be in any way afraid of the camera . She founded her own production company , Miss Wasabi Films, in 2000 . And was member of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2009 . Coixet has some fetish actresses who usually play his films , such as : Sarah Polley , Leonor Watling and Patricia Clarkson . Her filmography includes other feature films such as 'Cosas Que Nunca Dije' (Things I Never Told You) (1995), Elegy (2008), 'Mapa De Sonidos De Tokio' (Map of the Sounds of Tokyo) (2009), and the two latest 'Ayer No Termina Nunca' (Yesterday Never Ends) (2014) and 'Learning to Drive' (2013) and a thriller titled 'Another me' with Sophie Turner ; besides documentary films, shorts and commercials . And recent premiere in Berlin Festival of 'Nobody Wants the Night' (2015) starred by Juliette Binoche .
I have a feeling this may be one of those movies like 'The Goddess of 1967', a movie people will either love (for its beauty) or hate (and claim it's hollow trash that pretends to be intellectual).
'La Vida' is a movie that's largely based on an oil rig. An explosion has occurred, killing one guy and badly injuring a man who tried to help. The problem is: where can you find a nurse that wants to work on an oil rig? Enter Hanna Amiran, a deaf girl who has worked in a factory for four years without taking a day off. Now Hanna has been forced by the unions to take some time off. Hanna, seemingly unaware of what a vacation is, books herself a stay in a shabby hotel and is eating Chinese food when she overhears a man who's working for the oil company: "Where can we find a nurse that wants to work on an oil rig?" Hanna goes up to him and says: "I'm a nurse."
Hanna is not the most social person in the world. That she's deaf is helpful: if she doesn't want to communicate she turns off her hearing aid. Which makes her an ideal person to work on an oil rig: the captain, the cook, the biologist... all of them are pretty introvert. The thing is: when a new person is brought to the oil rig, they do want to have some social contact. But not Hanna. She's even less revealing to Josef, the man she has to nurse. Josef is badly burnt and because of the fire has lost the ability to see for a couple of weeks. Not being able to see anything, he wants to talk the whole time. Which seems to upset Hanna. She tells him his name is Cora, she lies about the colour of her hair...
Throughout the movie you'll see the secretive layers of Josef and Hanna peel off. And all of it will come to a painful climax long before the movie ends.
One of the other people on the oil rig is Simon (Daniel Mays of 'Funland'), who's sent to study the waves violently bashing against the rigs. In his own time he also studies mussels (which are affected by the pollution) and hopes that one day when the oil has been pumped out of the sea the rigs will be used to make the water cleaner. That is the bit that makes me feel some will dismiss this movie as pretentious nonsense. Hanna's history, which I won't reveal, is also a heavy subject. And yes, maybe this movie wants too much, but Coixet does manage to find a setting to make her story work and enough setting to back it up convincingly.
Maybe the movie ends a bit too positive, but after what we've heard it's okay to lose reality and dream for the best.
Polley and Robbins are very good, as are the rest of the supporting cast. The childish voice-over you hear at the beginning and the end of the movie has raised a couple of questions on internet fora as to which character it is. Some of the comments on those fora made me want to see the movie again. Which, whatever way you put it, is always a good sign.
It's hard to describe this movie as we're not dealing with 'actions', but rather the 'aftermath of actions'. Which is why the movie is both silent and talkative. Which is why we're voyeurs trying to peel off the layers too. The best (and possibly the only) way to describe this movie is by using one word: intense.
'La Vida' is a movie that's largely based on an oil rig. An explosion has occurred, killing one guy and badly injuring a man who tried to help. The problem is: where can you find a nurse that wants to work on an oil rig? Enter Hanna Amiran, a deaf girl who has worked in a factory for four years without taking a day off. Now Hanna has been forced by the unions to take some time off. Hanna, seemingly unaware of what a vacation is, books herself a stay in a shabby hotel and is eating Chinese food when she overhears a man who's working for the oil company: "Where can we find a nurse that wants to work on an oil rig?" Hanna goes up to him and says: "I'm a nurse."
Hanna is not the most social person in the world. That she's deaf is helpful: if she doesn't want to communicate she turns off her hearing aid. Which makes her an ideal person to work on an oil rig: the captain, the cook, the biologist... all of them are pretty introvert. The thing is: when a new person is brought to the oil rig, they do want to have some social contact. But not Hanna. She's even less revealing to Josef, the man she has to nurse. Josef is badly burnt and because of the fire has lost the ability to see for a couple of weeks. Not being able to see anything, he wants to talk the whole time. Which seems to upset Hanna. She tells him his name is Cora, she lies about the colour of her hair...
Throughout the movie you'll see the secretive layers of Josef and Hanna peel off. And all of it will come to a painful climax long before the movie ends.
One of the other people on the oil rig is Simon (Daniel Mays of 'Funland'), who's sent to study the waves violently bashing against the rigs. In his own time he also studies mussels (which are affected by the pollution) and hopes that one day when the oil has been pumped out of the sea the rigs will be used to make the water cleaner. That is the bit that makes me feel some will dismiss this movie as pretentious nonsense. Hanna's history, which I won't reveal, is also a heavy subject. And yes, maybe this movie wants too much, but Coixet does manage to find a setting to make her story work and enough setting to back it up convincingly.
Maybe the movie ends a bit too positive, but after what we've heard it's okay to lose reality and dream for the best.
Polley and Robbins are very good, as are the rest of the supporting cast. The childish voice-over you hear at the beginning and the end of the movie has raised a couple of questions on internet fora as to which character it is. Some of the comments on those fora made me want to see the movie again. Which, whatever way you put it, is always a good sign.
It's hard to describe this movie as we're not dealing with 'actions', but rather the 'aftermath of actions'. Which is why the movie is both silent and talkative. Which is why we're voyeurs trying to peel off the layers too. The best (and possibly the only) way to describe this movie is by using one word: intense.
- Chris Knipp
- Dec 20, 2006
- Permalink
- julesmollica
- Oct 28, 2006
- Permalink
What a remarkable film! "The Secret Life of Words" grows on you little by little, at a steady and constant relaxed pace, throwing at you intriguing images and sounds from the very beginning that will get you hooked wondering until the very end.
Isabel has done it again, an emotional "rollercoaster" that gets to you in a devastating way. We needed this movie!
This movie could have been called "The Forgotten". Why we prejudice people we don't know simply because they behave differently, in ways we do not understand? How come we pretend to understand certain things that we cannot even imagine to be happening in the world?
The story of Hannah is the story of the millions that have been forgotten, but that walk with us every day.
Subtle and brilliant. Fine and devastating.
My admiration to Isabel for her bravery and talent. A terrific next film after "My Life Without Me".
The cast is wonderful! Sarah Polley and Tim Robbins are absolutely fantastic. What a performance! Julie Christie is great too (she sure got the great lines!). Thank you, thank you all.
Entertaining in a meaningful way.
Absolutely recommendable!
All the best to your film Isabel!!
Nico
Isabel has done it again, an emotional "rollercoaster" that gets to you in a devastating way. We needed this movie!
This movie could have been called "The Forgotten". Why we prejudice people we don't know simply because they behave differently, in ways we do not understand? How come we pretend to understand certain things that we cannot even imagine to be happening in the world?
The story of Hannah is the story of the millions that have been forgotten, but that walk with us every day.
Subtle and brilliant. Fine and devastating.
My admiration to Isabel for her bravery and talent. A terrific next film after "My Life Without Me".
The cast is wonderful! Sarah Polley and Tim Robbins are absolutely fantastic. What a performance! Julie Christie is great too (she sure got the great lines!). Thank you, thank you all.
Entertaining in a meaningful way.
Absolutely recommendable!
All the best to your film Isabel!!
Nico
Isabel Coixet, the most exciting name to come from Spain since Pedro Almodóvar (who produced this film, by the way), made another remarkable film after her unforgettable "My Life Without Me" (2003), also starring Sarah Polley.
"The Secret Life of Words" is the contemplative, poignant story of a young hearing impaired woman (Polley), who takes care of a man (Tim Robbins) who suffered severe burns in an accident on an oil rig. The accident made him blind for a while, and though he can't even see her, they develop an unlikely emotional bond. Polley and Robbins deliver some of their best performances; the supporting cast (Javier Cámara, Daniel Mays and Julie Christie, among others) is also top-notch. Coixet's sensitive, multi-layered script/directing, plus the excellent cinematography and soundtrack, help make the enterprise so powerful and absorbing. For those who like human stories, this one shouldn't be missed. Coixet is currently filming "Elegy", with Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard - I'm looking forward to whatever comes next from her, and that one looks quite promising!
My vote: 10/10.
"The Secret Life of Words" is the contemplative, poignant story of a young hearing impaired woman (Polley), who takes care of a man (Tim Robbins) who suffered severe burns in an accident on an oil rig. The accident made him blind for a while, and though he can't even see her, they develop an unlikely emotional bond. Polley and Robbins deliver some of their best performances; the supporting cast (Javier Cámara, Daniel Mays and Julie Christie, among others) is also top-notch. Coixet's sensitive, multi-layered script/directing, plus the excellent cinematography and soundtrack, help make the enterprise so powerful and absorbing. For those who like human stories, this one shouldn't be missed. Coixet is currently filming "Elegy", with Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard - I'm looking forward to whatever comes next from her, and that one looks quite promising!
My vote: 10/10.
- Benedict_Cumberbatch
- Jun 12, 2007
- Permalink
- marc4ucb-1
- Sep 9, 2007
- Permalink
When people go through great amounts of pain and unbearable suffering, it takes a lot of time for them to be able (if ever) to heal and go on with their lives. This movie helps us to understand that process and connect with other people's pain. It does it in a very slow way, it's true, but that's the greatness and beauty of this movie. It gives us time to understand what these people have been thru, and shows how important it is that we do not forget, or let those that have suffered to be forgotten. It's not 'showy', not fast, not overly intellectualized but small, understanding and truthful. It gives us people difficult to watch because they are block, closed and reserved but at the same time gives us time to understand why, and that in the end it is possible to survive, to heal from the most terrible things that can happen to a human being. This movie is not for people who are not sensitive enough to think about what happened 'around the corner' some years ago and what extent can the human cruelness reach. The movie could have been pathetic and sentimental but it's not (it does have its faults but the outcome is so important that you forgive that). It shows that there is a place in a world for those that have suffered, and for those that are hurt, lonely, shy, and for those to whom the mere existence is difficult. And already for that I am grateful for this movie, that shows that there is so much more in life than words, and that we all carry a rich universe in us to be explored if we love and are loved no matter who we are and what life has put us through.
- Campusgirl
- Nov 27, 2005
- Permalink
Second time around collaboration with writer-director Isabel Coixet (previously in "My Life Without Me" 2003), Sarah Polley again gave us a stunning subdued performance portraying 'Hanna' (wears a hearing aid) with possible tough turmoil lodged within, seems rather be alone by herself. Tim Robbins matched with equal subtlety in his performance as 'Josef,' wounded both physically (burns and temporarily blind) and within, possible tenderness to share? The chemistry between the two talented actors made Coixet's emotional challenging script complete. I smiled when Polley's Hanna started to let go a little, giving herself a chance to taste Simon the cook's Epicurean food. Robbin's Josef being confined to bed and unable to see, conveyed volumes through his 'listening' facial expressions, movement of his head, and tone of his voice, cracking jokes even in pain. The pace is almost in real-time (may require some viewers to be patient and take in stride the events as they occur). Nothing is rushed - we are given time to ponder with Hanna and Josef, appreciating the growing relationship, closing the gap, trusting each other.
The story setting includes life on an oil rig (off the coast of Northern Ireland at the time.) We get a sense of how each member of the team past their time after the alleged accident rendering the rig operation to shut down. The supporting cast, including the goose, complement the sketches of the story. Javier Cámara (Pedro Almodóvar's "Talk to Her" 2002) is Simon the ship's Spanish cook who befriends Hanna; Julie Christie (whom Polley directed in her directorial debut "Away from Her" 2006) is Inge the Danish therapist friend to Hanna. Sverre Anker Ousdal (I remember him from "Kitchen Stories" 2003) is the Norwegian ship's in-charge Dimitri who imparted his wisdom to Hanna: "Deep down, everything is an accident." Yes, the words (and the silence in between) to the dialog and scenes are well-thought out. Sample of a few are: "Maybe you are not. But I am." Hanna to Scott when he tried to explain that he's "not prejudiced." "How does one live with what happened?" "How does one live with the dead?" Josef asking Hanna. "I will learn to swim, Hanna, I swear. I will learn to swim." Josef to Hanna.
The insertion of music and selected songs & lyrics*, juxtaposed with complete silence are aptly choreographed. And when you reached the end of the film, you may want to go back to the beginning credit roll and try to catch the 'secret words' that transiently appears with the display of each name and title. Some of the words are: silence, friend, sound, cut, pain, affection, scream, hope, child, ever, love, minutes, time, rain, believe, hope - ends with Coixet's name: always - hope.
I rated THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS at 9 out of 10: excellent script, thoughtful drama, superb acting, cinematography, production, editing both sound and visuals, music & songs and silence & dialog considerations, cultural diversity and the tough subject at heart, raising awareness and hope for the future. Kudos to the producers, Focus Features, Spanish and French production companies - especially to filmmaker Isabel Coixet.
*song & lyrics of note: David Byrne's "Tiny Apocalypse"; Tom Waits "All the World is Green"
The story setting includes life on an oil rig (off the coast of Northern Ireland at the time.) We get a sense of how each member of the team past their time after the alleged accident rendering the rig operation to shut down. The supporting cast, including the goose, complement the sketches of the story. Javier Cámara (Pedro Almodóvar's "Talk to Her" 2002) is Simon the ship's Spanish cook who befriends Hanna; Julie Christie (whom Polley directed in her directorial debut "Away from Her" 2006) is Inge the Danish therapist friend to Hanna. Sverre Anker Ousdal (I remember him from "Kitchen Stories" 2003) is the Norwegian ship's in-charge Dimitri who imparted his wisdom to Hanna: "Deep down, everything is an accident." Yes, the words (and the silence in between) to the dialog and scenes are well-thought out. Sample of a few are: "Maybe you are not. But I am." Hanna to Scott when he tried to explain that he's "not prejudiced." "How does one live with what happened?" "How does one live with the dead?" Josef asking Hanna. "I will learn to swim, Hanna, I swear. I will learn to swim." Josef to Hanna.
The insertion of music and selected songs & lyrics*, juxtaposed with complete silence are aptly choreographed. And when you reached the end of the film, you may want to go back to the beginning credit roll and try to catch the 'secret words' that transiently appears with the display of each name and title. Some of the words are: silence, friend, sound, cut, pain, affection, scream, hope, child, ever, love, minutes, time, rain, believe, hope - ends with Coixet's name: always - hope.
I rated THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS at 9 out of 10: excellent script, thoughtful drama, superb acting, cinematography, production, editing both sound and visuals, music & songs and silence & dialog considerations, cultural diversity and the tough subject at heart, raising awareness and hope for the future. Kudos to the producers, Focus Features, Spanish and French production companies - especially to filmmaker Isabel Coixet.
*song & lyrics of note: David Byrne's "Tiny Apocalypse"; Tom Waits "All the World is Green"
. . . slow moving film, yet it kept my interest throughout. Stellar performances by all, including secondary roles. Julie. Christie has a minor but important role, but I hardly recognized her. A powerful film for the strong.
Probably one of the better films I've seen this year. In contrary to the person who left the movie half way, I think the characters developed very well. From Hannah, who didn't speak and trust people becoming completely open and sharing her story (certain clues like her eating different food played a role in sensing this development), to Josef who's love life was tainted until he found his true counterpart. The use of the little girl's voice to narrate gives it a dark, yet emotional sense of who she is and where the story of the movie is coming from. Overall, the movie was excellent, although there were a few holes here and there.
- chanathan03
- Nov 1, 2005
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This has a beautiful set up, one which is highly in touch with the themes and the shape of the characters. That set up works because the performances allow it.
The film is about being incomplete, abnormal people running away from normal situations - almost a reverse of the most common kind of drama this days, normal people in abnormal situations.
There are great hints at understanding visually what the two main characters feel physically/deeply. So, the characters are an island, an artificial island, self-absorbed, and broken, like the oil platform. She is deaf, and able to decide whether she wants to hear, he is temporarily blind. I understood the deaf as someone who is able to decide when she wants to be the island (by total silence, or by the constant noise of the factory where she works when she's not being a nurse). The temporary blindness was the process by which Robbins' character is forced to "hear" (synonym to understand) instead of "seeing" (synonim to preconceive).
The way the conclusion unfolded, with the revelation of the past of the girl struck me as natural, and confirmed me that the tensions, the revelations, etc. all come throughout the portions in the platform, it speaks to us and reveals more than the dialogs do, that's the interest of it. That's why it's visual. The set up tells the story. The opposition between inside outside helps. We have mostly hand held camera for the dialogs, and travelings for the outside.
I knew Tim Robbins was competent. Sometimes he is great. He is an intelligent actor, one of those who is an artist himself, who has a great creative portion in the projects where he works, he has his own 'method'. Sarah Polley was a surprise. She is talented, she projects her characters internally, she's highly contained, but also highly emotional. I'm not sure about this, but in a way she reminds me the kind of actor Henry Fonda was (and his daughter as well). I'll follow her career. She directed a film recently, i'm interesting in finding out how she took her acting skills to the field of direction.
Isabel Coixet has a personal touch, i suspect, it's not original, she doesn't pull out risky tricks, but she emulates well enough the references she takes. I like that. This is a worthwhile experience, one that may touch you deeply if you have the capacity to understand the abstractions of the minimalist interpretations and project those abstractions on the way the set is filmed. That's interesting...
My opinion: 4/5
http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com
The film is about being incomplete, abnormal people running away from normal situations - almost a reverse of the most common kind of drama this days, normal people in abnormal situations.
There are great hints at understanding visually what the two main characters feel physically/deeply. So, the characters are an island, an artificial island, self-absorbed, and broken, like the oil platform. She is deaf, and able to decide whether she wants to hear, he is temporarily blind. I understood the deaf as someone who is able to decide when she wants to be the island (by total silence, or by the constant noise of the factory where she works when she's not being a nurse). The temporary blindness was the process by which Robbins' character is forced to "hear" (synonym to understand) instead of "seeing" (synonim to preconceive).
The way the conclusion unfolded, with the revelation of the past of the girl struck me as natural, and confirmed me that the tensions, the revelations, etc. all come throughout the portions in the platform, it speaks to us and reveals more than the dialogs do, that's the interest of it. That's why it's visual. The set up tells the story. The opposition between inside outside helps. We have mostly hand held camera for the dialogs, and travelings for the outside.
I knew Tim Robbins was competent. Sometimes he is great. He is an intelligent actor, one of those who is an artist himself, who has a great creative portion in the projects where he works, he has his own 'method'. Sarah Polley was a surprise. She is talented, she projects her characters internally, she's highly contained, but also highly emotional. I'm not sure about this, but in a way she reminds me the kind of actor Henry Fonda was (and his daughter as well). I'll follow her career. She directed a film recently, i'm interesting in finding out how she took her acting skills to the field of direction.
Isabel Coixet has a personal touch, i suspect, it's not original, she doesn't pull out risky tricks, but she emulates well enough the references she takes. I like that. This is a worthwhile experience, one that may touch you deeply if you have the capacity to understand the abstractions of the minimalist interpretations and project those abstractions on the way the set is filmed. That's interesting...
My opinion: 4/5
http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com