TRIBECA FILM FEST 2014: EVERY SECRET THING
Small suburbs in America have a hard time forgetting the past. We, have a hard time forgetting the past, or understanding it fully once it’s gone. Once something has happened to you, it will always be with you. You can never leave it behind. People don’t forget, even if you want them to, and you can’t hide forever. Several years before the main events in EVERY SECRET THING, we’re introduced to 2 eight year old girls. One is chubby, one is thin, and neither one has any friends. They've been set them up to be friends, of sorts, even though neither is too keen on the idea. They attend a pool party together that doesn’t go well at all. On the way home, the girls come across a baby on a porch. Days later, the baby is found dead and the girls are found guilty of the crime. A decade later, the girls are newly released and another child has gone missing. Suddenly the case smells a lot like the one they were involved in, and secrets and lies will unfold as Detective Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks) and her partner Kevin Jones (Nate Parker) try to stitch it all together before it’s too late.
Director Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) has crafted a taut, eerie, and powerful piece of drama here. Working from a shimmering script by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said, Walking & Talking), you feel transported directly into the town instead of looking into the story from the sidelines. Taking it’s time from scene to scene, it grips and holds you as it slowly tells its tale. Smartly, it doesn’t always seem to be telling the truth, as parts of the story come from the two girl’s points of view, which you’re not sure you can trust. Playing them are Dakota Fanning and newcomer Danielle Macdonald, both giving radiant and powerful performances. You feel bad for them as everyone seems to automatically feel they may be guilty, yet you wonder the same thing. Both performances that feel lived in and real, anchored by a strong lead by Elizabeth Banks who leaves her excellent comic timing behind to emerge into this dark and misunderstood world. Diane Lane also drives in a sad, strong performance here, portraying Alice’s (Macdonald) mother, who seems to strongly favor one girl over the other. Alive and daunting, EVERY SINGLE THING will draw you into its web, into the corners of their hardened world. And thanks to powerful performances, inspired direction, and an intriguing script, it will stay with you long after as well.
VERDICT: MUST SEE
Written By: Nicole Holofcener Directed By: Amy Berg Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Diane Lane, Dakota Fanning, Danielle Macdonald, Nate Parker, Common. For Tribeca Tickets and more info: TICKETS
BOTTOM LINE: A stirring, moving character drama, beautifully charged.