Every Secret Thing (2014)

Every Secret Thing: A Haunting Tale of Truth, Memory, and Consequence

Every Secret Thing is a quiet but deeply unsettling crime drama that delves into the psychological aftermath of a childhood tragedy. Based on the novel by Laura Lippman and directed by Amy Berg, the film is not a typical whodunit. Instead, it is a slow-burning exploration of guilt, unreliable memory, and the long shadows cast by early trauma.

 

Set in a small, seemingly ordinary American town, the story revolves around two teenage girls, Ronnie and Alice, who were convicted at the age of eleven for the kidnapping and death of a baby girl. Now, seven years later, they are released back into society. Almost immediately, another child goes missing. Detective Nancy Porter, played with quiet intensity by Elizabeth Banks, is drawn into the new case and finds herself forced to reexamine the disturbing events of the past.

Danielle Macdonald and Dakota Fanning portray the teenage versions of Ronnie and Alice with chilling complexity. Fanning’s Alice is guarded and cryptic, while Macdonald’s Ronnie is impulsive and unpredictable. Their dynamic is laced with confusion, resentment, and secrets. It quickly becomes clear that their original confessions may not have revealed the full truth. As the detective peels back the layers of their fractured relationship, the film builds a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere where nothing is quite as it seems.

Every Secret Thing: Tribeca Review

Diane Lane delivers a cold and unsettling performance as Alice’s mother, Helen Manning. Her character’s emotional detachment and quiet manipulations suggest that her influence on the original crime may have been more profound than anyone realized. Her presence looms large over the film, adding a chilling undercurrent of parental control and suppressed rage.

What sets Every Secret Thing apart from other crime thrillers is its refusal to offer easy answers. The mystery unfolds not through clever twists or shocking revelations, but through the slow, painful revelation of character. It asks viewers to consider how much of our identity is shaped by our past, and whether people—especially children—can ever truly be held accountable for actions they barely understood at the time.

Movie Review: Every Secret Thing (2014) - The Critical Movie Critics

Amy Berg’s direction is restrained and unflinching. She allows the story’s emotional weight to speak for itself, avoiding melodrama in favor of quiet, persistent dread. The cinematography is muted and grey-toned, reinforcing the film’s sense of moral ambiguity. There is little comfort in this world, and the final revelations do not bring catharsis, but rather a deeper understanding of the damage that has been done.

Every Secret Thing is not a film for those seeking clear justice or redemption. It lingers in the spaces between guilt and innocence, between memory and denial. It asks uncomfortable questions about how we perceive young criminals, about parental responsibility, and about the limitations of the justice system.

Ultimately, it is a haunting portrait of broken lives and the secrets that destroy them from within. Quiet and understated, yet emotionally devastating, Every Secret Thing stays with you long after the final frame.