Secret Things

Secret Things begins with an appealing promise: Jean Claude Brisseau will treat its comedy framework as a route into character rather than an excuse for noise. The early chemistry between Coralie Revel and Sabrina Seyvecou gives Secret Things an immediate pulse. The story of Secret Things begins from a specific pressure point: Nathalie teaches Sandrine that sexual transgression can cause violent pleasure and give those who use it a powerful weapon to climb the social hierarchy. By the end of its 1h 55m running time, the value of Secret Things rests less on novelty than on the care of its execution.

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What keeps Secret Things emotionally readable is Coralie Revel, whose choices establish a consistent point of view. In scenes with Sabrina Seyvecou, Secret Things gains tension from two performers refusing to produce the same kind of energy. Roger Miremont contributes a separate rhythm to Secret Things and helps the supporting material feel less purely functional. The direction by Jean Claude Brisseau gives the cast of Secret Things room to connect the quieter beats with the larger ones.

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Jean Claude Brisseau gives Secret Things a directorial line that is alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them from its opening promise to its final movement. The staging of Secret Things is strongest when Jean Claude Brisseau allows motivation to determine pace instead of reversing that priority. Viewed as a complete piece, Secret Things confirms that the cast and craft keep the experience watchable across most of the running time. A tighter version of Secret Things would address how too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested, yet the surrounding work remains persuasive.

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The craft of Secret Things is defined by comic timing built around character, supported by comic timing built around character rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Les Aventuriers de l'Image gives Secret Things a production framework in which well judged reactions can remain connected to story. Made from a France production context, Secret Things uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Secret Things works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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Secret Things finds additional purpose in its examination of embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Through the performance of Coralie Revel, Secret Things makes that examination feel personal before it becomes broadly symbolic. The idea of Nathalie repeatedly returns Secret Things to the cost behind its more visible developments. Jean Claude Brisseau is most persuasive when Secret Things allows the theme to emerge from an uncomfortable choice rather than polished dialogue.

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The plot of Secret Things is built around the uneasy relationship between Nathalie and Sandrine. For Coralie Revel, that relationship gives Secret Things an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Jean Claude Brisseau lets the central character reshape the direction of Secret Things in stages. Although the treatment of an important relationship could be sharper, Secret Things never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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Secret Things ends as an uneven film with enough personality to remain interesting, especially for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. What remains from Secret Things is the relationship between Coralie Revel, comic timing built around character and Jean Claude Brisseau's control of mood. The weakness that too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested narrows the impact of Secret Things without cancelling its better work. On balance, Secret Things gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.