LITTLE SECRETS

LITTLE SECRETS is a terrific movie which gets off to a slow start. It opens with the camera lingering over a scene of small-town America and examining a homemade clubhouse which has a big sign saying, “Secret Keeper” and several signs announcing the price and saying closed.

Next, the movie cuts to one scene after another of children who have secrets: Emily plays her violin and longs after a renowned classical conductor; a little boy removes $20 from his father’s wallet so he can buy his father a birthday present; a little girl communicates by email with a boy as if she were a teenager who wants a romantic relationship; another little girl takes in a cat that belongs to somebody else; and, the young son of a new family in town breaks a chess piece accidentally and then tries to hide it in the garden. Each one of these children and many more line up outside of Emily’s clubhouse to pay her to keep their secrets. Actual objects, such as the broken chess piece, she carefully puts in a paper bag, labels with the person’s name and puts into a giant trunk that only she has the key. Then, she gives advice to each child on how to cover up their little secret.

The boy next door, Phillip, falls for Emily. He even takes piano lessons to learn how to play Mozart to impress her. His older brother, to whom Emily is attracted, gets in an accident in a car driven by a drunken friend, seriously harming the other driver.

Emily’s mother and father are having another baby. They are past their prime and this is a miracle baby. Her father is into beer and watching the Braves. Emily wants to watch the concerts and play along. The real secret is that Emily is adopted.

All of these secrets start to create problems for Emily and her friends. In a beautifully crafted story, biblical principles are revealed rather than stated. When Emily realizes her jealousy, she names her sister Grace. She learns about openness and confession. Everyone learns about forgiveness, kindness and love. This is the type of movie that Sunday School classes could spend a long time discussing…and, the type of movie which families will enjoy.

Evan Rachel Wood is terrific as Emily. She plays a serious lover of fine music without being stuck up. Her young neighbor Phillip played by Michael Angarano is brilliant. He almost steals the movie, but he learns to get over his jealousy and also becomes a better person by the end of the movie.

Although this is finely crafted, it is a small movie clearly made on a limited budget. As successful as it is in presenting biblical principles within the framework of the story, it fails to grab the audience at the beginning and it takes a certain amount of willpower to wait until the story hooks the audience. This is why Alfred Hitchcock said every movie has to start with a bang. Whether or not it’s a physical bang, it has to capture the audience.

There’s only one objectionable scene in the movie, which is an accidental fall from a roof. However, nothing in the movie is too intense for younger audiences. LITTLE SECRETS has something to tell the world, and it needs tender loving care so that it will be seen by all.