Every Secret Thing is a mystery drama about the previous murder of a young girl and the search for a currently missing girl. It mainly relates to the two young adults who were found guilty of the death of a young girl 7 years previously and who are now suspects in the current missing girl case. The film is very well paced and totally enthralling. It uses flashbacks very effectively to show what could of happened during the previous murder so you don't really know who was responsible until the end of the film. The strong cast featuring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Nate Parker are excellent but special mention goes to Danielle Macdonald who I'd never heard of previously who does a brilliant job as Alice Manning. You never know how the film will end up and I found the very end of the film to be especially chilling. The only negative I can find is that I thought the film could have been a little longer in length. It's quite rare to find decent intelligent dramas these days but this small effort really does hit the mark. Highly recommended.

Director Amy Berg is better known for documentaries such as Deliver Us from Evil and West of Memphis; that might be the reason why her dramatic debut, Every Secret Thing, feels a bit dry and impersonal despite its sordid story and the scabrous themes it handles. Nevertheless, I found it a competent thriller with a good atmosphere and excellent performances. The chain of causes and consequences in the screenplay of Every Secret Thing is interesting, but the film lacks of the energy and expressiveness which would have made it genuinely transcendent. Berg might have feared her reserved thriller to become a sensationalist TV movie from Lifetime, and because of that, she took a special care with the level of emotions and the volume of the drama, something I truly appreciate... however, that decision slowed down the impetus of the film a bit, and the final result is an entertaining, but not completely satisfactory, movie. As for the actors, Elizabeth Banks brings a brilliant work in which she proves her big talent outside the comedy once more; Diane Lane perfectly displays a good level of threat in her character, something completely different to her usual roles as victim or comprehensive wife; Dakota Fanning is used to playing this kind of solemn and tortured characters, but that doesn't make her performance less solid; and Danielle Macdonald is an authentic revelation, simultaneously displaying tragedy, optimism and a certain cruelty. With a less shy director, Every Secret Thing could have been a much more memorable film; but in its current state, it's a decent movie which preferred narrative moderation over emotional impact. I respect that decision, but the film didn't reach the potential suggested by its disturbing story. I hope that Berg will be able to find the adequate balance between her analytical instinct and the necessary passion to bring the material to life in her next dramatic project.

Where to start. I was blown away by this film from start to finish. Its not an action epic and its not a jump a minute thriller. Its a solid story about horrible people doing horrible things and ensuring that those around them think they are wonderful.The film was hard to watch and actually left me feeling fairly unpleasant when the credits roll, I can only assume this was director Amy Bergs intention. I have not read the book so I cant speak to how closely it follows the source material and I don't think it hindered my viewing of this film in the least.the film weaves seamlessly between past and present never causing confusion or convoluting what's going on. If your a fan of great story telling, super believable acting and drama to spare this is for you.I am well aware that I've not actually described anything in the film as the synopsis at the top of the page does that, instead I've decided to describe the quality of the film in both story and direction. A solid 9 for me.

This is an interesting little film. It's a dark story full of grim characters, most of the which are the type you hope never enter your life. You could call this film predictable (and it is to be fair) but I don't think that's where the strength of this film was ever supposed to lie. The strength lies in just how interesting the characters are. The mystery of just how evil each of them potentially is just adds to things.For an under-the-radar film it has a pretty strong cast. Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning all turn in strong performances and the lesser known actors do a good job as well. It's also well directed and despite there being almost no action scenes during the 90 minute run time, the film never drags which is always a good sign. Altogether it's a fine little film that I hope a lot more people get the chance to see.