As a new fan to David Tennant I wanted to get my hands on everything this brilliant man has done. However; when I read the synopsis of this movie, I knew that this was one that I would not be eager to watch. David is a brilliant actor and I absolutely love seeing him as and of the number of adorable characters he usually portrays. The point is that in the majority of David's roles, he portrays good guy characters. "Secret Smile" is not one of them and as a fan it is difficult to see him as anything other than the likable, charming, 10th regeneration of The Doctor.
This movie is promoted as a drama and a thriller. David's character Brendan Block has been described as a stalker and a psycho; terms that completely miss the mark on what Brendan truly is. This movie is about romance gone wrong, and obsession but the terms that seem to be missing in most comments about this show are; abusive relationships, domestic violence, control, and manipulation.
I finally sat down and watched this show because I wanted to be able to discuss its background themes, and have a working knowledge of David's work. The movie itself is well done, the storyline is good, David is brilliant as ever, but I will most likely not be watching this show ever again simply because the subject matter hits way too close to home (I'll explain). Having said all of that, it is definitely a movie worth seeing. The movie does have quite a few plot twists and dramatic turns, although I pretty much knew how things would play out not because of poor writing or poor storytelling but because I've lived it. I knew things would escalate and I knew Miranda was making all the wrong moves because I made them too.
The character Brendan Block is not just a psycho he is a sociopath. What is the difference, you may ask? Everyone can spot a psychopath, a sociopath is clever and charming enough to move through society undetected but still be a bit psycho. David's natural skill at being charming was perfect for this role. Abusive partners are generally very charming and skilled at the art of control and manipulation. They know how to say just the right thing at the right time. Once the trust is gained, the abuser begins to control by crossing social boundaries and then the threats begin if they do not get what they want. All of these points are touched on within the movie if you pay attention.
In the beginning Brendan was extremely charming to everyone but was able to hide his possessive nature by directing the blame off of his actions and directing them at the victim or the victims family. On a basic level we want to trust people and want to believe that everyone is good. Abuser's know this fact and use it against their victims. If you have the stomach for it, and you've already seen it once, see it again with new eyes with the knowledge you now have of what Brendan did. You will see just how he lied and manipulated his way through all of their lives, with no proof and little more than a suggestion.
David has played dual roles before as twins who dressed and acted differently in "Nativity 2", and as a clone of himself in "Dr Who". As Brendan Block he does an excellent depiction of a man who although does not have a dual personality, he does lead a double life. The difference in his eyes when he is acting "sincere" to his lover, and the maniacal look he has when he looks at Miranda as if to say "I win", is ever so subtle but there nonetheless and highly effective. How well he portrayed the two sides of Brendan was quite frightening, and for me made it difficult to watch because it brought up flashbacks of my own life with a sociopathic husband. David is a brilliant actor, but frankly I don't ever want to see him in this role ever again because he did it just a little too well.
Being American, I had to watch this on You Tube because we are horribly deprived of David Tennant in this country. I am not sure if there were any promotions for help with domestic violence centers shown with this program or with the DVD but there should have been. In my opinion this was a much better portrayal of domestic violence issues, than "Recovery" was at portraying head trauma injuries. "Secret Smile" depicts just how bad it can get, whether or not the abuser physically hits you. When will people realize that the real abuse in abusive relationships is mental abuse, not always physical abuse?
Some people commented on how they thought Brendan was a creep but were strangely attracted to him regardless because he was portrayed by David Tennant. Most sociopaths such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacey, and Charles Manson were all described as very charming and strangely attractive. The movie was trying to point out the fact that Brendan got away with many of the things he did because he was charming and attractive, and nobody questioned his integrity they just assumed he was telling the truth.
Some people have commented that there was no real evidence that Brendan actually murdered anyone. I don't think there is any evidence that Hitler actually murdered anyone either but that doesn't make him any less of a monster either.
In closing I would suggest that after watching this movie you have a movie readily available to cleanse your pallet of the character that David played so well. I suggest either "Decoy Bride" or "Nativity 2" to remind you that David generally plays adorable roles and is just as good in those movies too.
This movie is promoted as a drama and a thriller. David's character Brendan Block has been described as a stalker and a psycho; terms that completely miss the mark on what Brendan truly is. This movie is about romance gone wrong, and obsession but the terms that seem to be missing in most comments about this show are; abusive relationships, domestic violence, control, and manipulation.
I finally sat down and watched this show because I wanted to be able to discuss its background themes, and have a working knowledge of David's work. The movie itself is well done, the storyline is good, David is brilliant as ever, but I will most likely not be watching this show ever again simply because the subject matter hits way too close to home (I'll explain). Having said all of that, it is definitely a movie worth seeing. The movie does have quite a few plot twists and dramatic turns, although I pretty much knew how things would play out not because of poor writing or poor storytelling but because I've lived it. I knew things would escalate and I knew Miranda was making all the wrong moves because I made them too.
The character Brendan Block is not just a psycho he is a sociopath. What is the difference, you may ask? Everyone can spot a psychopath, a sociopath is clever and charming enough to move through society undetected but still be a bit psycho. David's natural skill at being charming was perfect for this role. Abusive partners are generally very charming and skilled at the art of control and manipulation. They know how to say just the right thing at the right time. Once the trust is gained, the abuser begins to control by crossing social boundaries and then the threats begin if they do not get what they want. All of these points are touched on within the movie if you pay attention.
In the beginning Brendan was extremely charming to everyone but was able to hide his possessive nature by directing the blame off of his actions and directing them at the victim or the victims family. On a basic level we want to trust people and want to believe that everyone is good. Abuser's know this fact and use it against their victims. If you have the stomach for it, and you've already seen it once, see it again with new eyes with the knowledge you now have of what Brendan did. You will see just how he lied and manipulated his way through all of their lives, with no proof and little more than a suggestion.
David has played dual roles before as twins who dressed and acted differently in "Nativity 2", and as a clone of himself in "Dr Who". As Brendan Block he does an excellent depiction of a man who although does not have a dual personality, he does lead a double life. The difference in his eyes when he is acting "sincere" to his lover, and the maniacal look he has when he looks at Miranda as if to say "I win", is ever so subtle but there nonetheless and highly effective. How well he portrayed the two sides of Brendan was quite frightening, and for me made it difficult to watch because it brought up flashbacks of my own life with a sociopathic husband. David is a brilliant actor, but frankly I don't ever want to see him in this role ever again because he did it just a little too well.
Being American, I had to watch this on You Tube because we are horribly deprived of David Tennant in this country. I am not sure if there were any promotions for help with domestic violence centers shown with this program or with the DVD but there should have been. In my opinion this was a much better portrayal of domestic violence issues, than "Recovery" was at portraying head trauma injuries. "Secret Smile" depicts just how bad it can get, whether or not the abuser physically hits you. When will people realize that the real abuse in abusive relationships is mental abuse, not always physical abuse?
Some people commented on how they thought Brendan was a creep but were strangely attracted to him regardless because he was portrayed by David Tennant. Most sociopaths such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacey, and Charles Manson were all described as very charming and strangely attractive. The movie was trying to point out the fact that Brendan got away with many of the things he did because he was charming and attractive, and nobody questioned his integrity they just assumed he was telling the truth.
Some people have commented that there was no real evidence that Brendan actually murdered anyone. I don't think there is any evidence that Hitler actually murdered anyone either but that doesn't make him any less of a monster either.
In closing I would suggest that after watching this movie you have a movie readily available to cleanse your pallet of the character that David played so well. I suggest either "Decoy Bride" or "Nativity 2" to remind you that David generally plays adorable roles and is just as good in those movies too.