A direct-to-video release in the United States, this French directed film stars Americans and is a remake of a Japanese film called Himitsu. Although the film deals with the supernatural, it is not a J-horror remake. In fact, it's quite a touching and intelligent movie. I think the reason it was never released over here is because it is an intelligent film. The attempts to market it as a thriller, from the title and the video cover, probably wouldn't have worked if it had been released normally. David Duchovny stars as an optometrist whose wife and daughter (Lili Taylor and Olivia Thirlby) get into a serious car accident at the open of the film. His wife passes away in the emergency room, but his daughter survives. As soon as she wakes up, however, she claims not to be the daughter, but the wife trapped in her daughter's body. Smartly, the film doesn't spend too much time with Thirbly's attempts to convince Duchovny the evidence is overwhelming. The film spends most of its time with the difficulties the peculiar situation raises, especially between the married couple. The two also find evidence, when Thirlby talks in her sleep, that the daughter is still somewhere inside her. They expect she may come back to them one day, but then the wife's personality will disappear. The film is far from perfect. Its best in the small scenes, and worst when director Perez is trying to create set-pieces. You can see the cheapness especially in the emergency room sequence it looks nothing like an emergency room. The real news here is Olivia Thirlby's performance her first, if we are to believe the opening credits. And proud this film should be to introduce her it was obvious enough even in a mediocre film like Juno that Olivia Thirlby was going to be a star. Of the four films I've seen her in so far, this is the best proof that she's a keeper. She plays two different characters, one over twice her own age. The role requires a tour de force performance, and Thirlby delivers one effortlessly.
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Nooshin_Navidi11 September 2010I'm not entirely sure why most sites put this under the "Thrillers" genre rather than "drama", but I'm glad i saw it regardless.
Based on the 1998 book 'Himitsu' by Japanese writer Keigo Higashino, this is a heart-strings story with its fair share of humor. But it's definitely a tear-jerker, and a very good one at that. It was shot in Montreal (hence all the French names in the credits) but could be set anywhere in the States.
If you happen to really like Lili Taylor & David Duchovny as I do, then you're in for a treat. The young actress is also wonderful and holds her own against these two veterans. I was relieved that they did not cross the line in this version (you'll know what i mean when you watch the film); it would have cheapened the film and changed the whole message and dynamic.
All in all, a film worth watching.
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The reason why I didn't disapprove it was because up to a certain extent it was an original film that made me question unquestioned things and it was quite good to watch. Must be added here that if I might enjoyed it more than other people since I haven't seen the original film and the book source of this.
"The Secret" (or "Si j'étais toi" it only got this title because the director is French. Go figure.) looks like one of those magnificent films with supernatural themes, very close to Bruce Joel Rubin's scripts ("Ghost" and "Jacob's Ladder") in the sense of making us wondering of things that would happen after someone's death, the kind of strange experiences of someone who can't let go of the living world. Only looks like but it never gets close to those examples. The challenge here is given to a happy family (or close to such situation) after a car accident involving mother (Lili Taylor) and daughter (Olivia Thirlby) where the mother died but her spirit was "transported" into her teenage daughter, who seemed to get trapped somewhere. It gets stranger when the omnipotent spirit has to deal with her loyal husband (David Duchovny). At first he rejects this happening, later accepting it when the daughter starts to reveal personal details of the couple, like when they first met and other things. From this moment on, we follow the bizarre process of the couple (or father/daughter if you prefer) in dealing with the current situation; the father trying to find a way to live with this and the woman having to go through the high school years again, but this time living everything her daughter (who never liked her) is experiencing with her friends, boyfriends and on and on. And if you think the woman will let go of her husband, wrong. She wants him even trapped in this new body and you might guess the upcoming problems from here.
If this was a comedy I would have appreciated it more. It has all the required elements for a well humored and crazy project, but unfortunately this wasn't a comic film (although it has some funny moments). Filled with anguish, a little bit thoughtful and very unexpected, the supernatural aspect of the movie is the thing in which we connect more, the things to be watched. Can't say the same about the family drama after the spirit/body conversion, specially towards the conclusion and we know about the daughter's life in school, her relations and the way he sees the world around her. She's young, trying to make her way and trying to escape from her mother's dedicated attention and affection at the same time she quotes in her diary about no one caring for her - when she's surrounded of people who like her - being intelligent is underappreaciated, life sucks. It says one thing but shows another, totally unconvincing and it's one of those things that is really hard to relate. Try real contempt, little girl then you'll know about life. I really urge you to pay attention to those moments since they're what makes the poor and unlikely ending. And we didn't know much about the mother before the accident, it doesn't show much and we should have more scenes with her, maybe some flashbacks rather than seeing her inside of a unlikeable teen.
Go forward with low expectations and you'll be rewarded with some mildly decent entertainment and some thoughtful issues. But only if the last one would speak higher than the first one, then we would have THE movie. 6/10 -
Even though his performance was decent for the most part, it was still horrible casting. Duchovny can do comedy and wit, but show emotion? Too forced Dave, too forced.
The Secret was a good surprise though. After a horrible car crash involving Benjamin Morris's (Duchovny) wife and daughter, the man becomes involved in a horrible occurrence. Turns out, that after dying, the spirit of the mother becomes trapped in the body of the reawakened daughter. Freaky Friday much?
The body swap idea that has been seen from time to time has been given a more mature approach here. The mother has to get an education that she didn't get, via her daughter's body; she also has to experience teenage angst, constant attacks by horny males, and the self realization that she is she, but she is not she. Ben believes her, but things get far more psychologically complex as the movie progresses. Thankfully, nobody asks advice from a priest (about damn time).
The script was well done, but what made it above average were the characters and situations that arose. Plot holes further hurt the movie, not to mention Duchovny's unconvincing portrayal as a father who EASILY gets aroused by her daughter's possessed body. Maybe it was because of the director (Vincent "Crow 2" Perez), or maybe it was because of both.
Now, Olivia. What a magnificent, tour-de-force performance you gave here. You did everything Dave didn't do- convince. People, better watch this one, she has a bright future ahead of her. Lilly Taylor gives a subtle performance here, almost too subtle. You forget about her the minute she stops showing up in the movie. Wait, what she in the movie?
Statement: The Secret is a huge surprise. Almost too huge. I expected a clichéd Dragonfly, but I got an intelligent viewing. Not to mention that this movie features one of the best performances of 2007 by the beautifully talented Olivia Thirlby. You can't expect much more than this I'm afraid, but you won't expect much by looking at the DVD cover.
6.7/10 -
It doesn't matter much to me that this movie fails, because its based on a pretty good idea. I assumed when watching it that the Japanese original was better as they typically are. It seems not.
The idea here is one at least as old as Shakespeare: when an actor plays a character, he or she hosts an unnatural soul in the available body. So if you want layered performance, you set up a script where this happens within the story. Its what's called folding, folding in the acting. Clever actors seek these parts, which turn out to be comparatively common.
What to do if you want to go further than anyone has? You introduce sex. Now, sex is also about one body entering another, so this can work, especially if there is some extraordinary tension. The plot provides. The situation here is that a woman's soul is transferred to her sexually active sixteen year old daughter. The man and girl both horny, frisson results.
In fact, this is one of those movies where the description is more interesting than the movie. Things like this are hard to make, especially when you have to conform to the limits of how sex can be played. And of course when you lack basic skills.
Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements. -
i voted ten maybe because it's my emotions talking. but isn't that what drama is all about?! controlling, manipulating your emotions but in a good way. it is a high-quality(pardon the exaggeration) different from ordinary drama. i thought it was horror drama but remove the horror. there was no "incest" here. so it's OK for the conservatives there. they just danced, the daughter(ice princess star) and father(x-files star). there were no lingering touches and all that. all scenes were all just from the heart. and that is difficult. yes i agree to the other comment that it is like freaky Friday and x-files(but just a tad, no alien ghost stuff )but with 100 percent drama. imagine a cast and crew making a movie about a mother's soul going to her rebellious daughter and a father trying to comprehend and accept all that and every movement of that cast and crew(including the script, directing, and acting of course)is coming from the heart and all their life experiences about genuine love, love for your family,wife,husband,daughter and friends. isn't that a great feeling?? haaay... though i got depressed on the cocaine scene. i want cocaine hehe. anyway...the actress who portrayed the mother was great. kudos to her. she must have more moments in the drama scene. David and ice princess were also great. this movie is a must watch!
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lastliberal12 November 2008Hiroshi Saitô's screenplay was reworked by Ann Cherkis to take place in America.
Hannah, the mom (Lili Taylor - "Six Feet Under") and her daughter Sam(Olivia Thirlby - Juno) are in a car accident and through some magic the soul of the mother is transferred to the daughter.
You can imagine the hilarity as Sam, who is now Hannah, but looks like Sam, returns to school as Sam (she is 16) and discovers that her daughter is smoking pot and having sex. Or, when she pops into her husband's office and sees him flirting with her guidance counselor.
Her husband/father (David Duchovny) doesn't know what to feel. He hers his wife, but sees his daughter. Now, that is messed up.
Thirlby was amazing in a dual role.
The ending was messed up. -
chelano25 September 2011This film had a decent cast, but some of them didn't seem to fit their parts. Now David Duchovny did a pretty good job. He seemed normal and the parts when he was losing it, he was very believable. Lili Taylor did a good job, but I wish she was in it more. Olivia Thirlby plays the daughter of Duchovny and Taylor. The mom's soul goes into the daughter, so through most of the movie, Thirlby had to pretend to act like Taylor. At parts it seemed like she was, but other parts not so much. I did on the other hand like the story a lot. The ending was a little off for me, but it wasn't terrible. The movie really didn't have a scare factor. The film sets itself up to be scary, but it is not. It is mentally creepy though. If you pay attention to the characters, you will see what I am talking about. So overall, it was decent, but not the best of its genre.
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dead4754821 August 2008The story is pretty contrived, but it's easy to look past that because it is more about the relationship between the characters instead of the mystery or whatever of a mother being trapped in her daughter's body. It's a film well worth watching for the superb performances from David Duchovny (who has quickly become a huge obsession of mine) and especially Olivia Thirlby who convincingly portrays this adult soul trapped in her teenage body. She was absolutely brilliant and will probably stay in at least my top ten by the end of the year. Even more impressive was the fact that this was actually her first role ever in film, just other stuff got released before it. The two of them were devastating together and worked so well, which is outstanding because of the age difference. They did a great job of moving seamlessly between such a wide range of emotions from sexual repression to jealousy to anger.
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porcupinewebb6 September 2008I watched this film on satellite totally by accident believing the name used, 'The Secret' was something totally different that the wife wanted watch. I was most surprised that it turned out to be this one, and more surprised that it had David Duchovny in as I had never even heard of this film.
Not to bad as things go, if you have never even heard of the X-Files. David Duchovny had been so type cast in this that if it was thirty minutes shorter, and his characters name was changed to Mulder they could have called it The X-Files - Ten Years Later.
Enough of that, It did have a slightly different and better ending than I was expending. There was no wasted budget on excessive special effects that were not absolutely needed for one scene, which is something I totally believe should be the way. To end I have just upped the score a little from when I started writing. -
Shauna631 December 2021Ick. Waiting/worrying that something would "happen" between Ben & Hannah/Sam was just too creepy/grueling for me. This story definitely did not need to be told. Did I say ick?
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KawaiiKiwi9 August 2008This is a remake of a Japanese movie I believe, a drama about a family like every other. The mother and her husband are very much in love, and their 16-years old daughter is going through her teen phase; friends, boyfriends, drugs, anger against parents who love her. This is very hard to live for her mother who only wants her good. One day while they are both in the car arguing, they get in an accident where they both nearly die. When the mother wakes up at the hospital, her daughter is dead. After something strange happens, she awakens in the body of her daughter, and her own body is declared dead.
She doesn't understand what is happening and tries to convince her husband that she is the mother, not the daughter. Obviously, at first the husband doesn't want to believe her, thinking she is still shaken from the accident. Eventually he realizes that she is telling the truth, but even though they are in love as husband and wife just like before, they cannot consume their love as the father finds it awkward to have his wife inside his daughter's body. The situation is very hard on both of them as they are so close yet so far.
During the movie, the mother tries to continue her daughter's life in hope that she will one day re-emerge. This brings conflict to the relation between her and the husband, as she feels as if she is re-living her teen years through her daughter's chaotic life. The main actors really brought a lot of emotion to the characters, and their love story even brought tears to my eyes. There are a lot of touching and sad moments. The movie's production feels a little bit cheap but it's a great story told brilliantly. The main actress playing the daughter did an amazing job at conveying the feelings of this adult-teenager girl torn between two lives and so many emotions. Very beautiful movie. -
sol12188 February 2009**SPOILERS** You see right away in the movie "Secret", or its French title "Si J'Etais Toi", that something just doesn't jive with what's going on the screen. Both mother and daughter Hannah & Sam Marriss, Lili Taylor & Olivia Thirlby, are in the hospital, after surviving a serious traffic accident, with the husband and father Dr. Ben Marriss, David Duchovny, hanging out in the emergency ward, where he would be restricted from being, as the doctors and nurses desperately try to save what's left of his family. I got the impression that Ben had somehow, with superhuman powers, materialized himself into the ward where he was invisible to those working there.
The film gets even more bizarre with Hannah looking as if she survived the accident suddenly reaches out and grabs her daughter, who looks like she's dead, Sam's hand and transfers her life-forces into her body. All this with an almost non concerned Ben, whom no one in the emergency ward seems to notice, looking on! It's later in the movie that we, as well as Ben, see what all this goings on back at the hospital was really all about. Hannah had become her daughter Sam in the flesh while Sam, or Sam's soul, was floating around in the "Astral World", the world between life and death, for all eternity! Or until she replaces Hannah's soul who somehow took over her body!
The complications of this supernatural transfer are enormous in that Ben knowing that his daughter is really his wife has trouble being a husband, which Sam or really Hannah desperately wants, to her! It's later that we see the real reason for this galactic body change and it all had to do with showing Ben, who over the years spoiled her, what a rotten kid his sweet and cuddly daughter Sam really was! All this new information about Sam blows Ben's mind in that he now realizes that he by him not taking control her life Sam had become a pot smoking and coke sniffing addict and promiscuous, Sam actually had her boyfriend's name Justin tattooed on her pretty behind, to boot!
****SPOILERS**** It's later that Sam, or her soul, takes back what's so rightfully her's, her mind & body, and as they say in regards to Union/Management negotiated contracts she became "whole" again. Now with his daughter back home and alive Ben shows Sam a little something that her deceased mother left to her from the world beyond. The surprise package, in fact a camcorder recording, that Hannah left Sam was very touching indeed but how she could possibly have done it, being that she was dead and buried when the tape was obviously made, stretched creditability, even in a movie about the supernatural, to the absolute, or outer, limits!
P.S The film "Secret" is actually a remake, or Americanized vision, of the 1999 Japanese supernatural/spiritual movie "Himhus". It incidentally also has in its credits Hiroshi Saito who wrote the screenplay to both, in English and Japanese, films. -
chow9135 November 2015If father and daughter incest is your thing then you'll love... NO! You should be in jail! No one should want to watch father daughter incest fan fiction!!!
This film was big hit with cheesecake eating house wives (like the ones whom convinced me to watch this) because Oprah's book club went really off the deep end with bizarre sex fan fiction about 15 years ago!
If I'd actually researched the premise of this film before seeing I NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN IT!
So just like 'Freaky Friday' a mother and teenage daughter switch bodies. Here's it's in the hospital after a fatal car accident where the mother's body dies. But somehow her soul takes over her daughter's body.
The mother/daughter tries to convince her husband Fox Mulder of this as he obviously does not believe her. He eventually does accept the fact that his wife is indeed trapped in his daughter's body but a conflict still remains... He won't have sex with her! GOOD! Mulder is the only sane person in this movie! How fxxxed up would he have to be to jump in bed with his own daughter?
So this is the plot of the ENTIRE FILM, her failed attempts to seduce her own father! WTF? 'The Quiet' was less creepy than this as it clearly did not endorse father and daughter incest! Besides, in that case his daughter was Elisha Cuthbert.... I'm just saying the dad was only human.
If this wanted to be some kind of incest sexploitation film that's one thing but if you're trying to be taken seriously as drama than THIS cannot be your premise.
Spoiler warning! The ending is just tacked one. About two months later without ANY EXPLANATION the daughter's soul just reappears back in her body without any memories since the accident. THANK GOD! She'd be traumatized for life!
The mother, somehow just knowing this would happen made her a video explaining how they switched bodies.
Avoid this film at all costs! It fails on every single level and has one of the most fxxxed up premises outside of the exploitation genre. -
azathothpwiggins30 November 2021In THE SECRET, Ben (David Duchovny) and Hannah (Lili Taylor) are having problems with their teenage daughter Sam (Olivia Thirlby). The troubles escalate until Hannah and Sam are involved in a terrible automobile accident that leaves them both clinging to life. Tragically, Hannah succumbs to her injuries.
Later, Ben is confronted with the possibility that his wife has somehow transferred her consciousness into Sam's body.
This movie does a good job of exploring some of the bizarre, unsettling aspects of such a situation. Ms. Thirlby is very convincing as the daughter / mum, making her character fascinating. Duchovny is also believable in his bemused role... -
This remake movie is just downright wrong. So unlike the original 1999 Japanese version, Himitsu (The Secret in Japanese), which I liked even more. It's a lot sweeter and more subtle. That movie had sly humor, pointed satire, and most importantly, a different and astonishing ending that has something to do with the "secret." It's sad too, casts a wider emotional net, but it wouldn't anger you as much as this movie. This American version is loud and antagonistic. As a matter of disclosure I'll point out that I am not a remake basher, on principle, at all. I don't like the American version. First off, the title. Its call the Secret here, but in France, Si J'etais Toi, meaning If I was you, which makes more sense than the secret. It should just be call Hitmitsu to save some time so people wouldn't get confused. At the same time as this movie was getting release, there was another movie call the Secret by Rhonda Byrne. That was a self-help movie talking about law of attraction. Don't get it confused with this movie, they are not the same. The people that love this Secret movie directed by Vincent Perez needs some self-help because this movie was pretty bad as well. This movie stars David Duchovny as Dr. Benjamin Marris, and he needs to learn the law of attraction itself. He is a bit creepy in the film as he has recently lost his wife Hannah (Lili Taylor) in a car accident. Their only daughter Samantha (Olivia Thirlby) survives, but when Sam regains her consciousness in hospital, she claims that she is Hannah trapped in her daughter's body. I like how this a new twist of the switch body genre, but it takes a turn to the worst later on the story. At first Ben is skeptical, thinking this is only Sam's delusion, but things get unexpectedly complicated when he realized it is Hannah in Sam's body. Olivia Thirlby's performance as Samantha and Hannah is commendable as she portrays both mother and teen credibly. Viewers can really tell when she is playing either mother or daughter. Thirlby is definitely a young actor of promising talent based on this performance, but the writers gave her some really awful moments. First off, Hannah in Sam's body wanted to sexual intercourse with Ben. It was pretty gross, and dumb. It's pretty Freudian thought of having sex with a soul with another body, but that doesn't make it profound or better. It doesn't make it any better that the body that Hannah is controlling is her daughter. Disgusting creepy implied incest just does not do it for me. The movie never crosses the line towards actual physical consummation nor any explicit displays of sexual affection between Ben and Hannah as Sam, but it was very borderline close. I would think Hannah would understand this, but no, her character wants to be the stable wife to Ben. When Ben doesn't want to have sex with her. Hannah acts like a rebellion teen. That's where it gets way disturbing. Rather than protecting her daughter's body, she does all the wrong things when having a young body. Having sexual relationship with Sam's classmates when she is not suppose to. She then follows that with drug use. This acts truly makes the character of Hannah really unlikeable. It's not like Sam before the accident was any better. The only good likable character might be Ben who truly loves his wife, and daughter. "I've looked into 15 pairs of eyes today, but my day doesn't begin, till I looked into yours" is one of the best lines he has. The movie has a touch of romantic and a very bitter sweet ending. The music by Craig Walker is beautiful. Putting aside that the look and feel of this movie is kind of low-budget, after-school special kind of cheap, I tried to focus on the story and the acting. Unfortunately, the well-good acting is ruined by clichéd characters, confusing plot and heavy-handed narrative. A lot of details must be missing from the original novel Himitsu. There should not be only one secret. There are a lot of secrets behind the scene, and there are many types of painful love underlying: Loving other people in secret. Director Vincent Pérez has completely changed the meaning of The Secret. Now in the remake it is about the melodrama dysfunctional relationship between a parent and a child without humor and shock value taboo attention grabbing. The only thing I can come up with is that certain people just feel the need to like or pretend to like the taboo. Just because something is taboo does not mean it is cool or sexy or entertaining. This movie isn't that entertaining.
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regertz16 September 2008An old movie theme, soul transfer, gets new life in this film by Vincent Perez. Though some have called it a "thriller" even a "horror thriller", it's anything but. Just to add to the previous comments, I was very intrigued by the idea of taking what's usually played for laughs-a mother's soul trapped in her daughter's body and looking at the potential consequences in a dramatic situation. Thoughtfully and well done, with the parents torn between their desire to be and stay together and their love for their lost daughter. Ms. Thirlby is terrific in switching between the various characters of mother/daughter/joint personality. She makes the transitions quite believable, even disturbing. And while the movie does avoid crossing a certain sexual line, the tension in the temptation for the mother to resume her life at her daughter's expense is made clear. David Duchovny does a fine job as the father, a decent man trying to do the right thing in a bewildering and impossible situation. His own shifts from caring dad/loving husband to overprotective parent/bitterly jealous husband and back are well done and understatedly believable. The wonderful Lili Taylor gets less screen time but her Hannah character is a dominant presence throughout the film. A moving love story on two levels-a couple for each other; a father and mother for their daughter.
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Sinisstarfreak1716 August 2008I was browsing movies in Wal-Mart and came upon the movie. I saw that David Duchovny was in it and naturally wanted to buy it. I did so and went home and watched the film. I myself am in no way into movies where people switch bodies. Whether it is Freaky Friday, or Its a Boy Girl Thing, Transference movies do not interest me. This is nothing like those. They do not switch bodies, but yet the mothers soul seems to migrate into the daughters.
The story itself i really enjoyed. You have a daughter in her teens rejecting her mother because it is not cool, at times wishing she wasn't her mother. It is when the mother goes into the daughters body that the movie begins to take shape. It was not the performance by David, but yet the performance by Olivia Thirlby that blew me away. This being one of her first movies, i was extremely shocked. She plays the mother/daughter character absolutely amazingly and i was really astonished at the job she was doing.
I recommend this movie. As said before, i myself am not into transference movies, but this one really got to me. I really felt for the characters in this film, and thought it ended quite beautifully. I usually do not write reviews, but i saw this one did not have any, and thought that i would write my own. This may not be the best review, but i am new at it. Please see the movie. It is quite enjoyable for those who give it a try. -
alexxarian28 August 2009This movie turned out to be a total emotional roller coaster for me. I haven't cried so much for a long time. The combination of real life drama with fiction made the movie feel very spiritual and much deeper than most realistic dramas feel. Apart from the supernatural premise, the rest of the movie is very realistic and well acted. Duchovny's performance is excellent and I love the peaceful aura he always portrays. When it comes to Olivia all I can say is that her beauty and acting talent go hand in hand to create a heartbreakingly beautiful synergy. She strongly reminds me of Milla when she was younger. This film contains such a rich and complex artistic portrayal of some of the most beautiful and painful aspects of life that I'm tempted to consider it epic. I think this is a prime example that cinema is evolving in the right direction. Thank you so much for creating art like this.
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FoxMulder20085131 August 2008I rented this movie from Blockbuster today and I'm really glad I rented it because I felt it was a really good movie, it does its job and it doesn't disappoint. I originally thought this movie was going to be a horror type movie but it turns out that it was more of a drama/thriller type of movie. I'm actually glad it fell into the drama/thriller categories because if the movie was a horror film, it would have turned into your standard horror film with a bunch of thrown in clichés. I felt that the plot was intriguing but what really captured the film to me was the acting, it was all top notch, especially by David Duchovny and Olivia Thirlby. Both performances were really convincing. Let me put it this way, if the actors are capable of evoking the emotions in me, then they have done their job making the character the way it is.
The film starts off with introducing us to David Duchovny who plays the character of Benjamin and Benjamin is an eye specialist while Lili Taylor plays the character of Hannah who is a photographer. Sam, played by Olivia Thirlby, plays the rebellious daughter who evokes a life of drugs and sex and has a straining relationship with Hannah. The suspense builds up in a scene where Hannah and Sam are driving down a road and at the same time, they have a little argument while Hannah gets distracted and ends up crashing leaving the two characters seriously injured in a hospital. Sam is close to death while Hannah yells out her name because she wants her daughter to live and eventually, Hannah loses her life while Sam ends up waking up, telling Benjamin that she's not who she is anymore, she's Hannah's soul trapped inside her daughter's body. The film moves on from the hospital and Benjamin wants Hannah to attend Sam's school so that when Sam comes back, everything will be just the way it was but Hannah embarks on a journey where she finds out that her daughter has been secretly doing self-destructive things like drugs and sex and that before the crash, Sam wanted her mother to be gone. This leaves Hannah trying to figure out what she can do to bring her daughter's soul back and trying to maintain her school grades so Sam can attend a prestigious college when she comes back.
Benjamin doesn't know what to think about soul switching and later on in the film, he has to process his emotions and he's kind of mixed between believing her and not believing her. So he's kind of stuck on what he should do which makes for a pretty interesting scenario. What do you do when your daughter tells you that she has her mother's soul inside her? I won't give away the ending, but I'll only tell you is that I was fully satisfied with the ending and originally, I thought it was going to end stupid but I felt one hundred percent happy with the ending.
David Duchovny and Olivia Thirlby both give excellent performances, those two were the ones who carried the movie and who were in it for a substantial amount of time. David Duchovny does a good job playing the father who doesn't know what to do with this situation he's found himself in and Olivia Thirlby does a good job at portraying the mother trapped inside her character's body. She really convinced me, she gave one of the most excellent performances I've ever seen. I can see her becoming a successful actress in the future. David Duchovny fits this movie and he fit the part because Fox Mulder, the character from The X-Files, shares some of the same characters Benjamin does. He wants to believe like Mulder does and it even has David Duchovny's character doing research in a small scene that reminded me of Mulder. It was funny though when I saw that scene because I thought to myself, "Mulder would know all this already." Overall, it was a very good movie and it wasn't what I expected. The only problem is I felt that the movie should have been a little longer for the other characters to fully develop themselves but I think at the same time, it's really David Duchovny's and Olivia Thirlby's film. But overlooking that small gripe, the film was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try out a different movie.
My overall grade: A- -
joel-6783 January 2009OK so i go to video ezy hoping for something good and i see "The Secert" staring David Duchovny(TVs Californication) and i thought id give it a go, i wasn't expecting anything special thought it be a bad low-budget it film but WOW!!!!
the story line is grate, the acting 2 thumps right up!! but it wasn't Duchovny that stole the screen new comer Olivia Thirlby(Juno) that gave on of th best performance i have seen in 2008 besides Ellen page(Juno. but back on to the movie.
the movie is about a 16 year old girl going though the time when she cares of nothing but herself, when her and her mother(Lili Taylor who again top performance) on the way have a ca accident, when the are both "dead" Sam(Yhirlby) come back but she is not her self..
i hope the review has helped in a way i really do recommend this film! plus I'm new to this reviewing stuff so don't be harsh if u rate it
8/10 thnx.. -
yossarian10024 October 2008First, I enjoyed the movie. The story was more than interesting, had plenty of dramatic elements, convincing performances, and a rich visual presentation.
Second, this is one of those rare movies, like BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, where I kept feeling the better story was slightly out of reach. I don't know why that is. It could be me, it could be somebody was locked into the screenplay and couldn't make changes, or it could be the writer was just going in a different direction and I didn't want to follow.
We started off OK. The father was in both disbelief and denial. His wife terribly confused to find herself in her daughter's body. The father slowly comes around as the evidence mounts. This is where I come off the tracks. I would have written the rebirth of the husband/wife relationship and built on the obvious problems that would entail. The father keeps seeing his daughter every time he looks at his wife, the wife's friends become suspicious, people begin looking at the father oddly because of his apparent strange relationship with his daughter. Adding a sexual element here would have been unnerving and highly dramatic. Not a popular decision but I would have done it anyway. Then I would have introduced the daughter back into the equation with the wife becoming aware of her daughter's presence, slowly but increasingly aware, and at that point the husband/wife become distant from each other as their confusion mounts over not understanding what's happening. I would have ended the movie the same way, with the daughter returning. I would have, however, offered a few more scenes of spiritual explanation, possibly because I am not spiritual at all and I would feel the need to offer some reason for what has happened.
Like I said before, it's really unusual for me to react to a story this way, but every so often I sense a better story and simply yearn for it.
I am in no way criticizing this one. This is a fine story and a fine movie. -
juliaglahn14 December 2008We came upon this movie by accident at BlockBuster last night. We're both David Duchovny fans and movie buffs, but it was a surprise. Not a bad little movie. The subject matter I guess made it fall to the bottom of reviewers' and publicists' bins. Borders on father/daughter love. Since it's handled so discreetly, though, I'm not sure why it got dropped out of any press whatsoever.
Terry Gilliam in Tideland went much farther into forbidden territory. If he had made this movie, maybe the father would have had sex with his wife/daughter. That's another movie we discovered by accident: Terry Gilliam's Tideland. Not for squeamish prudes, but riveting for those with open minds. -
Well, being a die hard David Duchovny fan, this one was a must watch. Had heard a lot about this movie, and am so glad I could finally watch it ! I think its a beautiful story and it just broke my heart to see the pain unfold through the eyes of the various characters in the movie. This film should have got a worldwide theatrical release. Normally, movies dealing with the supernatural aspect, scare me a bit, but not this one! Its a good thing because the way of storytelling in this movie, is very subtle, giving the viewer just the right amount of thrills. David Duchovny was as usual his brilliant self. I liked the gentleness he brought to his role as a father. Olivia Thirlby is a brilliant actress who played her role with great conviction. This movie is surely going into my all time favorites collection and is a must watch for any David Duchovny fan!
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blooberdog7 February 2009No comedy here. Definite drama. I felt Duchovny, Taylor & Thirlby performed excellently in their parts. The parents, soul-mates who are deeply in love are now separated from one another by the teen daughters body. But also, the mom gets the rare glimpse into her daughters life, to see why she is so angry all the time. Take a minute and just pretend it could all happen-- because of their performances I could feel the confusion and emotion this would bring-especially for Duchovny's part. Wow. I thought Duchovny played a convincing part-his role wasn't all pervy like you would think (thank goodness)-just confused. Thirlby was also convincing as a grown woman in a teen girls body. Taylor didn't get much movie time but she was such a sweetie as always. I would like to have seen a different ending- I would recommend you watch it, it was good. Glad I saw it-I will probably watch it again.