Every Secret Thing

This is an interesting little film. It's a dark story full of grim characters, most of the which are the type you hope never enter your life. You could call this film predictable (and it is to be fair) but I don't think that's where the strength of this film was ever supposed to lie. The strength lies in just how interesting the characters are. The mystery of just how evil each of them potentially is just adds to things.

For an under-the-radar film it has a pretty strong cast. Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning all turn in strong performances and the lesser known actors do a good job as well. It's also well directed and despite there being almost no action scenes during the 90 minute run time, the film never drags which is always a good sign. Altogether it's a fine little film that I hope a lot more people get the chance to see.

"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.

The movie does a fantastic job pointing out how sick some people can be for attention. Even more strong of a point considering the movie looks like it took place before social media.

It's a well balanced but very sad story about two girls who become the suspects in a missing persons case because they were convicted of the same crime seven years ago.

The movie had some great performances by the entire cast. Elisabeth Banks and Nate Parker play two cops who catch the case of the missing persons. Daykota Fanning plays one of the suspects recently released from prison for killing a baby when she was just a child. Diane Lane, who played the over barring mother of one of the suspects. Then there is Danielle Macdonald who seems new to the acting game playing the other suspect. Common also has a small part as the boyfriend of mother of the mission child.

I liked how the story played out. Not too much info on the characters were given at once but in pieces, pieces that help you see the depth in all of them. It was also a better way to unravel the crime mystery.

I really recommend seeing the flick, it's like a an episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit, but with better cinematography.

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.

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.