0
It takes a special talent to turn the romantic lyricism of Zola and turn it into chick-lit.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
80
Village Voice by Alan Scherstuhl
In Secret boasts vigor and thematic richness, that feeling of artists expressing something vital.
75
Entertainment Weekly by Chris Nashawaty
There’s never any doubt that this will end badly for the lovers. But just in case, Jessica Lange as the fire-breathing mother-in-law seals the deal.
25
Slant Magazine by David Lee Dallas
A broad, crude mutilation of Emile Zola's noirish romance Thérèse Raquin that prioritizes heavy petting over plot.
40
Serviceable but uninspired, this latest version of Emile Zola’s much-adapted 1867 novel “Therese Raquin” sends its characters to their doom on schedule without stirring much sense of tragedy or emotional involvement.
60
The Hollywood Reporter by John DeFore
In a showy adaptation by first-time helmer Charlie Stratton, the story is more glum than seductive -- offering surprising sexual encounters, yes, but too little of the slow burn and psychological depth that might have made the Les Mis-meets-Jim Thompson concept get under one's skin.
60
Jessica Lange, as rare as a unicorn these days, seizes on the role of a grieving mother with two taloned hands. If there are any tremors of shame to be felt here, they emanate from her.
67
The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth
Therese is almost voyeuristically distant from what's happening on screen, asking the audience to observe, but leaving just enough a gap of being completely engaged, that while everything is very well articulated, the impact is more academic than sensual.
50
The generic title In Secret is as uninspired as the movie itself.
63
McClatchy-Tribune News Service by Roger Moore
A genuine “bodice ripper” of a thriller, with the requisite heavy breathing that comes after said bodice is ripped. The sex isn’t explicit, but Olsen and Isaac suggest the heat that gives this doomed affair its momentum.