Marie, who works as a successful door-to-door encyclopedia salesperson, has been married to her husband Francois for 12 years and has a two-year-old son. Though she is relatively content with her life, she feels something is wanting. Enter 50-year old African-American Bill. Initially she is annoyed by his insouciance, but she finds that she is irresistibly attracted to him. Soon the two are in the midst of sordid illicit affair. She knows little about her new lover, and he seems uninterested in learning about her, but the long sessions of lovemaking are something else entirely. Feeling out of control, Marie is increasingly repelled by her own actions. Psychologically, she struggles to reconcile her torrid encounters with Bill and mundane domestic chores such as bathing her son. Moreover, she finds herself incapable of hiding her adulterous behavior, rather she comes home with scratches and hickeys all over her body, to the devastation Francois.
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Whatever the reason, once you enter into a 'secret' affair you've really broken the relationship, and from all the signs this woman is evidencing, contrary to her declarations of 'love,' she truly wants out of the stifling situation with her husband and child. Proclaiming to 'love' him, but then deliberately and cruelly humiliating him time and again, paints her in a very despicable manner. She says it's necessary for her to choose herself or him, and like all adulterers, she selfishly chooses 'me.' It would be nice to see the sequel, if she were to reach the much needed psychiatrist's couch, and if it could help save her, for she is now doomed for a breakdown with the 'path' she has presently chosen. It's completely delusional, no one would survive for long the current choices she is making. It's a troubling storyline (with an ending that is confusing and senseless), and the acting overall is good. A lot rests on her shoulders, and outside of a misstep or two, she does fairly good work. It would have been nice with more explanation as to why, and a bit more dialogue, but that was not the creators intention. It definitely benefits from additional viewing.
Le secret is not only an emotional exploration of relationships, both marital and extramarital, but also provides a stark reflection on one woman's search for a life of perfection and fulfilment. This focus and move away from the traditional marriage narrative is what renders Le Secret different from other films of its genre. Coesens plays Marie, a confused mother who turns to American Bill for what to the spectator seems to be mainly for adventurous sex. Le Secret's narrative holds back much of the emotional drive resulting in Marie's affair and without Coesen's subtle yet telling acting the viewer would be lost in her intense personal struggle. To an extent, the ambiguous nature of Marie's emotions towards her husband and lover give the viewer a certain freedom to interpret her relationships for themselves. Even the end of the film, in which Marie and Francois seem to reunite carries an ambiguity and uncertainty with it. The often reserved nature of the script and acting provides a welcome change and challenge in a genre which is often overly predictable and simplified. Much of the dialogue between Marie and her lovers is refreshingly realistic in its uncertainty and honesty.
I sincerely wish I wouldn't throw 2 hours of my life, on this awful piece of sound and motion, they dared to call a movie.The only normal thing is the acting of the husband (Michel Bompoil) and the black lover(Tony Todd), which is good.Everything else is just bad. The script is half baked and repetitive at times. Directing is more suitable to "B" movies.During the movie I just waited for it to end, and the only reason I kept watching is my hope for something extraordinary at the end, but the end is even worse the the rest of the movie.I give it 1.5 out of 5.I do not usually comment on movies, but this one was so wrong, that considering its rating I must warn others to stay away.
i think the movie wisely displays the act of betraying a husband, without commenting it too much. it explains with little hints how passion (and essential thoughts coming with the act) take over the life of the protagonist. with that parallel relationship she finds the time to see what she needs, what the physical contacts really mean for her, so it helped me to understand a bit more of the mind of such persons. contrary to another comment, i for myself don't think it's really unrealistic, but the movie just shows how secretive people go through deep private experiences, and while they do so, they'll eventually clash with people who, if they're normally open and talkative and get confronted with this, turn into anxious, unsure and possessive partners in such relationships. the movie is a bit light though on that aspect, it's a bit shallow overall on psychology and it will depend on your own thoughts and considerations after to fill it in in a way, on that side.