Secret Things (Choses secrètes)

It's been a long time since I walked out of a film completely speechless. I'm not going to say much about the film because I feel it is best seen knowing NOTHING about it. I will mention though why it blew me away.

As a screenwriter, we are too often told about what makes a great screenplay -- in other words, the curse of Robert McKee (DAMN HIM TO HELL!)

Brisseau breaks all the rules here, and gets away with it. Beautifully. The film still tells a story, but he does things that reminded me of all the wonderful possibilities of a screenplay.

The film begins - you think one thing. It grows a bit, characters are introduced -- you think another thing. From then on the film takes one wild turn after another, ending up as something incredibly far from what it began with, sort of. . .

The film is very sexual, and it includes scenes and images that in a lesser film would be laughable. To look at some stills from this film one might think it was a soft-porn Saturday night Cinemax film. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The acting is top notch. Truly incredible. I found an interview with Brisseau, who said that the film cost only $600,000 (amazing!) and that he shot most scenes in just one take.

I’ve heard it referred to as a French Fight Club or being similar to Eyes Wide Shut but these are VERY inaccurate assessments.

I think the film is opening in NYC soon, and will perhaps be shown elsewhere.

Do whatever you have to do to see this film -- eat a bug, sleep with a hirsute aunt -- just see it!