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Every Secret Thing is a movie that was released in 2014 and directed by Amy J. Berg. The movie is based on a 2004 novel by Laura Lippman with the same name. The screenplay for the film was written by Nicole Holofcener. The movie features a star-studded cast, including Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning, Danielle Macdonald, and Nate Parker.
What makes this movie particularly special is that it is the first film produced by Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand. The movie was initially released in theatres on May 15, 2015, and was later released on home video on August 4, 2015. Every Secret Thing is classified as a crime movie and tells the story of a detective who investigates a case involving two young girls who have gone missing.
The case involves complex themes such as trust, betrayal, and redemption. The movie received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the performances of the cast and the film’s overall dark and eerie atmosphere. However, others criticised the movie for its slow pacing and lack of character development. Despite the mixed reviews, Every Secret Thing has still managed to gain a following among fans of the crime genre.
After confessing to her crimes, Alice maintains that the kidnapped baby is actually her biological daughter, and the blood on the shirt found at the crime scene is from the baby’s father, who helped her. The man’s home is located, and the baby is rescued and returned to her true mother. Meanwhile, Ronnie is consumed by memories of Alice’s manipulations and her own guilt, leading her to take her own life.
Despite Alice’s scheming and legal tactics, she is only sentenced to probation. The novel explores issues of race and class in Baltimore and is described by Kirkus as a “chilling study” of the relationships between mothers, daughters, love, and murder. Cynthia finds closure and peace with her past.
The movie tackles several complex issues, such as the challenges of being an overweight girl portrayed as a jolly subject of entertainment by the media, the inherent tension in interracial relationships, and the inexplicable deceit of Alice’s mother, who goes to the extent of planting evidence to ensure Alice is imprisoned, versus the apathy of Ronnie’s parents, who display no emotions whatsoever. This results in an elliptical narrative style that may not be easily comprehensible for viewers.
Furthermore, the movie’s fragmented structure, where two kidnapping incidents with girls of different ages playing the suspects are interwoven, causes confusion and disrupts the chronological order, which the movie never recovers from.
Actor |
Character |
Diane Lane |
Helen Manning |
Elizabeth Banks |
Detective Nancy Porter |
Dakota Fanning |
Ronnie Fuller |
Danielle Macdonald |
Alice Manning |
Nate Parker |
Detective Kevin Jones |
Common |
Devlin Hatch |
Colin Donnell |
Ken Manning |
Bill Sage |
Dr. Doberly |
Renee Elise Goldsberry |
Jennifer Luff |
Brynne Norquist |
Brittany Lyttle |
Sarah Sokolovic |
Missy |
Eva Grace Kellner |
Young Ronnie |
Olivia Birkelund |
Mrs. Briggs |
Ann Dowd |
Mrs. Lipman |
Joel Marsh Garland |
Leonard Fuller |
The film employs a non-linear narrative structure, presenting present-day scenes alongside flashbacks that gradually reveal the events of the past as the story unfolds. The story centres around 18-year-old Ronnie Fuller and Alice Manning, who have just been released from Juvenile Hall after serving 7 years for the kidnapping and murder of a biracial infant who was the granddaughter of the county’s first black judge.
Alice adamantly maintains her innocence, claiming that Ronnie was the mastermind behind the crime, including planting her jack-in-the-box at the scene of the murder to frame her. In a series of flashbacks, the audience sees the girls walking home from a pool party when Ronnie spots the baby unattended in a stroller on a porch. Despite Alice’s objections, Ronnie takes the baby and runs off with her, arguing that they could care for the baby better and that it is now theirs.
The movie uses a non-linear narrative structure, with present-day scenes interspersed with flashbacks that gradually reveal the details of past events. After serving a seven-year sentence for the kidnapping and murder of a biracial infant, Ronnie Fuller and Alice Manning are released from juvenile detention. Alice insists on her innocence, claiming that Ronnie framed her for the crime. In a flashback, we see Ronnie take the baby from a stroller while they were walking home from a pool party, with Alice reluctantly following her.
In the present, Ronnie works at a bagel shop, while Alice spends most of her days wandering around town and eating junk food, lying to her mother about job hunting. Alice dreams of becoming a reality TV star and is shown practising a speech about being a “victim” of the justice system. Her mother, a teacher at the local elementary school, has a strained relationship with her daughter, favouring Ronnie over Alice.
When a bi-racial girl named Brittany Lyttle goes missing from a furniture store two weeks after Ronnie and Alice’s release, the connection to the previous kidnapping becomes apparent, and Detective Nancy Porter, who worked on the previous case, is assigned to investigate. Both Ronnie and Alice are questioned, with Ronnie being evasive and withdrawn and Alice subtly suggesting Ronnie’s responsibility.
The movie “Every Secret Thing” is about two girls who were released from juvenile hall after serving seven years for kidnapping and murdering a bi-racial infant. Soon after their release, a young bi-racial girl goes missing, and the detectives assigned to the case discover that the two girls are somehow involved. During their investigation, they find out that one of the girls had given birth to a baby while in prison and was obsessed with finding her child.
They eventually track down the missing girl, who is not the child they were looking for, and return her to her parents. Meanwhile, the other girl, overwhelmed by guilt, commits suicide. Soon after, it is revealed that Alice made a deal with the district attorney, and all charges against her were dropped, while Rodrigo was arrested for the kidnapping and statutory rape.
Detective Porter and her partner watch Alice’s media spectacle with disgust. Alice gives her practised speech about being an innocent victim of the justice system for the news cameras. In a flashback, it is shown that Alice manipulated and forced Ronnie to strangle the baby during the first kidnapping. Horrified, Ronnie confesses to Helen, who ensures Alice is punished equally with Ronnie. It is also revealed that Helen gave Ronnie Alice’s jack in the box, telling her to plant it at the scene of the crime. The final scene shows Alice standing over the baby carriage instead of Ronnie, revealing the truth about the first kidnapping.
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