As I was watching this film, it suddenly occurred to me why, after so many years of not liking most British films, in more recent years I have enjoyed more of them. And I think the reason is that the British are a little less into big budget special effects extravaganzas, and more into enjoying a film simply for great acting. And this is an example of the latter.The plot here is quite good. A older man is bicycling and is struck by a vehicle being driven by a younger man. As the plot unfolds it slowly comes to light that the vehicle was actually being driven by a barrister's wife who was having an affair with the younger man. Where are the wife's real loyalties? And who should surrender to the police? And will they? And is the husband just being a sap? What's interesting here is that some plot twists you may expect don't happen...and I guess that's a plot twist in and of itself.Tom Wilkinson is one of those actors whom it's a pleasure just watching. He is superb here, as he has been in every film in which I have seen him. He plays the wronged husband who has his own faults. He did seem just a tab bit too old for the part, however.Emily Watson is the wife/adulteress. A good performance, although I was not at all familiar with her.Rupert Everett plays the cad here...and does it quite well. He doesn't look well.Richenda Carey is very good as the dead man's wife, who is also a maid for Wilkinson and his wife. A good backstory there.If you want a thrill a minute, pass it by. If you want really solid acting...enjoy!

A very admirable, well-made film, Separate Lies tells a complex tale of fate, lies, infidelities and the precarious truces people make with each other in order to move on.One of the prominent themes in this very human film is that, sometimes, not speaking at all is akin to telling a lie. But in speaking up and accepting responsibility for ones actions, do we inflict further and needless damage and pain?The acting and directing are first-rate, and the cinematography is compelling without being overbearing. The fact that much of the story is set and filmed in the British countryside certainly doesn't hurt either. A competent adult drama filled with interesting characters that the viewer actually does grow to care about, Separate Lies is deserving of much praise.

a delicate theme. and wise manner to explore it. delicate nuances. realistic levels of crisis. bitter slices of honesty. a fight. and the justice. a film who preserves the shadows of middle age. the dialog, the feelings, the need to be yourself, the other as wall and window. the marriage as cage because the pieces of another life style is answer of a long expectation. a film who could represent a splendid surprise. the acting, the script, the delicate science to explore the details. and the beauty of London who becomes more than stage/location of a drama who seems be more and more large and profound. a film about the options of an age. its results. its force. and the fragility of few people in search of happiness. short , a film about the roots of love.

Another great Tom Wilkinson performance punctuates "Separate Lies," a 2005 film also starring Emily Watson, Linda Bassett and Rupert Everett. Directed by Julian Fellowes, it's the story of a married couple, James and Ann Manning where the husband (Wilkinson) believes he and his wife (Watson) are happy together. An accident near their house on the night they have a party brings the police around. It is a hit and run that killed their maid Maggie's (Bassett) husband. James becomes suspicious of a neighbor, Bill Bule (Everett) when he sees some damage on his car. He confronts Bule, who admits he did it and promises to go to the police the next day. When James arrives home, Ann is angry that he is making such a big deal out of it and states that she was driving the car. Of course, James then isn't so eager to rush to the police. She suggests that they call Bule and tell him their decision. "Oh, f___ Bule," James says. "Well, that's just it," Ann says. "I am f___ing Bule." James' devastation is just the beginning in this well-crafted drama. Without giving the plot away, this is a good example of how gender switching changes a story. Example of what I mean: Susan Smith drives her car into a lake and her children drown. She gets life in prison. What if the father had done it? The chair. You'd be surprised how often the outcome would be different. The same is true here - if it had been James having the affair and doing the subsequent activities, viewers might feel differently about the story. If Ann were in James' place, it would be shattering. As it is, it's tremendously sad.Tom Wilkinson is heartbreaking as a man blindsided by the woman he adores, and Emily Watson does a beautiful job as Ann, who, once she frees herself from her lies - her involvement in the accident and the happy marriage - knows what she has to do. Rupert Everett as Bule is very effective - indolent, uppity and ultimately in need. Everyone here is very civilized in their dealings with one another, and no one is all good or all bad.There are separate lies - James that his marriage is happy, Ann's as listed above - and there is one uniting lie - the accident, about which all parties keep quiet. It's enough for Ann that Maggie knows. In the end, all must deal with the separate lies that the single lie uncovered.Brilliant film.