Secrets & Lies (1996)

Absolutely masterful drama directed by Mike Leigh. The members of a family find out things about each other that transform their lives as secrets and lies are revealed. Brenda Blethyn and Timothy Spall star as siblings. Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars as Hortense Cumberbatch, an optometrist seeking her birth mother.

Leigh cleverly unpeels layers of the story, letting you know more about the characters and how they interrelate. It’s brilliantly shot, too. A party in the garden is framed like a play, with everyone in shot and everyone doing something at the same time. It’s fascinating to watch and definitely has the feel of a stage play. But, at the same time, the realism is such that it never seems “theatrical”.