| In Secret | |
| Director: | Charlie Stratton |
| Producer: | Mickey Liddell Pete Shilaimon William Horberg |
| Starring: | Elizabeth Olsen Tom Felton Oscar Isaac Jessica Lange |
| Music: | Gabriel Yared |
| Cinematography: | Florian Hoffmeister |
| Editing: | Celia Haining Leslie Jones Paul Tothill |
| Studio: | Exclusive Media Group LD Entertainment |
| Distributor: | Roadside Attractions |
| Runtime: | 107 minutes[1] |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $2 million |
| Gross: | $652,228[2] |
In Secret (also known as Thérèse) is a 2013 American erotic thriller romance film written and directed by Charlie Stratton. Based on Émile Zola's classic 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin[3] and the 2009 stage play by the same name penned by Neal Bell, the film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Lange. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] [5] The film received a regional release on February 21, 2014.
In the lower echelons of Parisian society in the 1860s, Thérèse Raquin is a beautiful, sexually repressed young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, whom she was forced to marry by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin.
Thérèse spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame Raquin play dominoes with an eclectic group of acquaintances. After she meets her husband's alluring friend Laurent LeClaire, the two embark on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.
During an outing on the lake with Laurent and Therese, Camille is beaten to death by Laurent and subsequently drowns. Madame Raquin finds it difficult to come to terms with her son's death and is soon incapacitated by a stroke, but overhears Laurent and Therese speaking about what they did. With great effort, she alerts one of their friends, who informs the authorities.
To escape being sentenced for the murder, Laurent and Therese choose to take their own lives. They go down to the river and share one final kiss after drinking poison mixed with champagne, and thus they die in front of Madame Raquin.
On May 9, 2012, principal photography began in Belgrade, Serbia and Budapest, Hungary.[7]
In Secret received mixed reviews. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 41% approval rating, with an average score of 5.30/10, based on reviews from 87 critics. The consensus states: "Although it benefits from a strong cast, In Secrets stars can't totally compensate for the movie's sodden pacing and overly familiar story."[8]
Despite mixed reviews, Lange's performance has received critical acclaim. David Lee Dallas from Slant Magazine called Lange's character's "latent severity dangerous and surprising."[9] Michael O'Sullivan from The Washington Post noted that "Subtlety may not be this film's strong suit, but it certainly is Lange's."[10] Jessica Herdon of the Associated Press added that Lange "[goes] from agonized to helpless, so poignantly that your heart breaks for her."[11] Odie Henderson praised Lange on her ability to "...[find] the perfect line of lunacy to toe, which In Secret requires for her character's arc..."[12] Emma Myers from Film Comment described her ability to "[maintain] a looming presence that shifts from despicable to sympathetic and back again."[13] USA Today described her work as her "...most fully dimensional performance."[14] Variety mentioned that Lange "...relishes what becomes the most dramatically potent role."[15] Joshua Rothkopf from Time Out New York praised the chemistry between Olsen and Isaac.[16]