In Secret (2013)
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A sexually repressed woman in 1860s Paris enters into a dangerous affair with her husband's friend.
The story
In the lower echelons of Parisian society in the 1860s, Thérèse Raquin is a beautiful, sexually repressed young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, whom she was forced to marry by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. Thérèse spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame Raquin play dominoes with an eclectic group of acquaintances. After she meets her husband's alluring friend Laurent LeClaire, the two embark on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the lower echelons of Parisian society in the 1860s, Thérèse Raquin is a beautiful, sexually repressed young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille, whom she was forced to marry by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. Thérèse spends her days confined behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame Raquin play dominoes with an eclectic group of acquaintances. After she meets her husband's alluring friend Laurent LeClaire, the two embark on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences. During an outing on the lake with Laurent and Therese, Camille is beaten to death by Laurent and subsequently drowns. Madame Raquin finds it difficult to come to terms with her son's death and is soon incapacitated by a stroke, but overhears Laurent and Therese speaking about what they did. With great effort, she alerts one of their friends, who informs the authorities. To escape being assumedly sentenced for the murder, Laurent and Therese choose to take their own lives. They share one final kiss after drinking poison mixed with champagne, and thus they die in front of Madame Raquin by the river.
- Original title
- Thérèse
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Charlie Stratton
- Writers
- Charlie Stratton · writer
- Cast and characters
- Elizabeth Olsen · Thérèse Raquin; Tom Felton · Camille Raquin, Thérèse's husband and first cousin; Oscar Isaac · Laurent LeClaire, a childhood friend and co-worker of Camille who seduces his wife, Thérèse; Jessica Lange · Madame Raquin, Camille's mother and Thérèse's aunt
- Genres
- erotic thriller; romance
- Themes
- adultery; murder; sexuality
- Tone and mood
- erotic; tragic
- Premise and plot tags
- period piece; romance; thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin and the 2009 stage play by Neal Bell
- Reception
- In Secret received mixed reviews. While the film was noted for its sodden pacing and familiar story, Jessica Lange's performance received critical acclaim from various outlets.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 41% · scale: approval rating · review count: 87; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- The film was screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.; Principal photography took place in Belgrade, Serbia and Budapest, Hungary.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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