The city of Orangetown welcomes people to the community with the sign "Rich in History." The irony is not lost on the viewer who recognizes right away that the underbelly of the community is rife with a deeply troubled history.
The strength of "Every Secret Thing" was a set of well-developed characters. Two of the most memorable are the two detectives racing against the clock to save a baby that has been kidnapped. Detectives Kevin Jones and Nancy Porter have a gritty determination to locate the baby. Detective Porter is especially invested in the case because it was she who discovered the diseased baby years ago who was also kidnapped in broad daylight.
Two other well-conceived characters are the desperate parents of little Brittany, who was kidnapped right from under their eyes in a furniture store. The plight of the parents was presented realistically, and one of the best scenes in the film as the reunion of Brittany with her parents.
A shortcoming of the film was in the overuse of flashbacks that were clearly intended to reveal the details of the characters' psyches. But the flashbacks were not necessary to demonstrate the depth of neurosis of Ronnie and Alice, who kidnapped the child and spent years in prison in the aftermath.
Helen Manning, the mother of Alice, was a curious figure indeed, as she treated her own child as a pariah, yet seemed to adore Ronnie. Manning figures prominently in the film's startling conclusion that lays bare the "rich history" of Orangetown.
The strength of "Every Secret Thing" was a set of well-developed characters. Two of the most memorable are the two detectives racing against the clock to save a baby that has been kidnapped. Detectives Kevin Jones and Nancy Porter have a gritty determination to locate the baby. Detective Porter is especially invested in the case because it was she who discovered the diseased baby years ago who was also kidnapped in broad daylight.
Two other well-conceived characters are the desperate parents of little Brittany, who was kidnapped right from under their eyes in a furniture store. The plight of the parents was presented realistically, and one of the best scenes in the film as the reunion of Brittany with her parents.
A shortcoming of the film was in the overuse of flashbacks that were clearly intended to reveal the details of the characters' psyches. But the flashbacks were not necessary to demonstrate the depth of neurosis of Ronnie and Alice, who kidnapped the child and spent years in prison in the aftermath.
Helen Manning, the mother of Alice, was a curious figure indeed, as she treated her own child as a pariah, yet seemed to adore Ronnie. Manning figures prominently in the film's startling conclusion that lays bare the "rich history" of Orangetown.