Character development in the film Secrets & Lies

Introduction to Film and Television theory

3. Secrets and Lies (1996), directed by Mike Leigh

Secrets and Lies is primarily a film based on characters. Discuss how characters are
Revealed and developed in the film through narrative structure and cinema techniques.
Use specific scenes from the film to illustrate you're answer.

Secrets and Lies is a film that can make an audience feel like they are not watching a film at all, but that they are looking in on everyday people going about their normal lives. Director Mike Leigh uses carefully chosen cinema techniques and narrative structure to achieve this effect. In the beginning we appear to be seeing exerts or slices of different peoples lives, going about their business. But as the film develops, these seemingly unconnected plot strands twist together, gathering tension and momentum. As this happens, we learn much more about each character through their interaction and become emotionally involved. Mike Leigh als...