Separate Lies Reviews

Good one to rent

The film was well done and you can see beautiful English countryside and London scenes in it. Never a dull moment how the story twisted and turned.

[Highly rated reviewer]

nuanced secrets-and-lies film

If you don't like, or haven't the patience for, films dealing with finely-tuned social distinctions and observations of (Southern) English behaviour, don't watch this: you'll be bored.

If, on the other hand, you're willing to see a sharply-observed story of the clash of attitudes between landed gentry and rich middle-class weekenders and their various satellites, as well as gender tensions and interpretations of truth, you'll enjoy this well-acted film.

Good work from Julian Fellowes who, on the social front, knows exactly what he's writing about.

It's more than just a mess

I feel bad for all the people who worked so hard to make this film look as smart as it does. Emily Watson is always wonderful and Tom Wilkinson's performance is studied and kind of sweet, and although Rupert Everett lacks his usual bi-sex appeal and looks about 90 - well, he's Rupert, isn't he? The cinematography is equally splendid but I kept wondering when the film was going to engage me emotionally. And No, I wasn't asleep.

A previous reviewer has summed up the plot (if that's not overstating the case) perfectly - basically a bloke gets knocked off a bike and this woman fancies a tall handsome guy. The the rest of the film tries half-heartedly to work the tenuous link between the two story strands and fails. Naturally I wondered whether I was missing some subtlety - Julian Fellowes being a clever bloke and all that - but I've given it some thought now (and Yes I do have a degree in Film) and my conclusion is that not only is this the biggest dirge I've watched in weeks but it's deeply offensive.

It's not that it presents like a TV play - albeit a fabulous-looking one - or that it eventually it depends on such an over-used method of attempting to draw us in emotionally, or even that the storytelling is so curiously detached. That's a method of storytelling like any other and some viewers like that coolness. Partly it fails structurally because the plot collapses into two disconnected halves; the bloke-on-bike part of the narrative doesn't seem to impact in any meaningful way on the central relationship, which is what this film seems ultimately to be about. But whilst that's irritating because it's sloppy film-making it wouldn't be enough to make me hate it as much as I did.

My problem with it was that it flags up at the very start that even lives that seem to be perfect have their problems. I confess I was anticipating a problem maybe larger than the everyday one which these unbelievably self-centred people faced, but No - it would appear that the civilised fashion in which they coped with their problem was the lesson for us all. In the first few minutes an innocent man is killed but the film just lets him slip out of the narrative while more important things take place, such as a bit of lump in the throat amongst the priveleged classes. For the latter part of the film it doesn't give the dead man a thought and, sadly, neither do we. No, life's not as good as it looks, is it? You can be riding along, minding your own business, get knocked off your bike, peg it - and no-one gives a toss. And that's what I hate most about this film.

Wilkinson's Sword ..

Can't quite understand some of the negative reviews of this film, I thought it was first class ..

I didn't find that the plot dragged at all, but kept at a good pace to keep the viewer entertained ..

What actually makes the film are the actors. Tom Wilkinson is simply superb, and should have got some kind recognition in the form of a BAFTA, etc .. Emily Watson sets her usual high standard, and Rupert Everett puts in his best performance in years ..

My type of film ..

[Highly rated reviewer]

Robbed of an ending - SPOILER AHEAD!!

watching film and then credits begin to up after nothing has bloody happened- WHERES THE END OF TH FILM!!!! - what a complete waste of time - husband gets train back & forward to London for work,man gets winged by a car and karks it later in hospital,wive was driving car, wife leaves him for a neighbour about 4 times & husband keeps taking her back - THE END. watch an episode of Bagpuss, it will be over quicker & the story will be better

seperate lies

This is a nice little story with good english actors it kept me entertained right through the film,when it was finished I felt that I had enjoyed my evening watching tv and that was something new.

Well Worth Seeing

This film has an excellent plot which grips your attention to the end. It is well acted with a good cast and excellent scenery. Most enjoyable. I would be happy to see it again.

Don't Miss, a proper film

Great film great story and great acting Someone wrote nothing happened, he must have been asleep.

Well made British film

This is a superbly crafted and very watchable film by director Julian Fellowes.

Tom Wilkingson and Emily Watson are excellent as the husband and wife. This well written dramatic story is mainly set in a lovely village setting in Buckinghamshire.

A Midsummer accident

Well acted and beautifully filmed, though looks and running time is like a big budget BBC 2 play. This is well observed study of the

priveleged classes who work

through their guilt of a slightly

inconvenient road crime - '

why did that frightfully chap

ride his bike anyway' could

have been a quote in the film.

Very watchable though not

in the Gosford Park class,

Julien Fellows should

stick to writing screenplays for good directors.