In Secret (also known as ThΓ©rΓ¨se) is a 2013 American erotic romantic thriller film written and directed by Charlie Stratton. Based on the 1867 classic novel ThΓ©rΓ¨se Raquin[3] by Γmile Zola and the 2009 stage play of the same name written by Neal Bell, the film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Lange. The film was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released regionally on February 21, 2014.
Set in the lower strata 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 is forced to marry by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin.
ThΓ©rΓ¨se spends her days locked behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame Raquin play dominoes with a group of eccentric acquaintances. After she meets Laurent LeClaire, her husband’s charming friend, the two begin an illicit relationship that leads to tragic consequences.
During an outing on the lake with Laurent and Therese, Camille is beaten to death by Laurent and then drowned. Madame Raquin finds it difficult to cope with her son’s death and soon suffers a stroke, but overhears Laurent and Therese talking about what they have done. With great effort, she warns one of their friends, who informs the authorities.
To avoid being convicted of murder, Laurent and Therese choose to commit suicide. They go into the river and share a final kiss after drinking poison mixed with champagne, thus dying in front of Madame Raquin.
In Secret received mixed reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41%, with an average rating of 5.30/10, based on reviews from 87 critics. The consensus reads: “Despite benefiting from a strong cast, In Secret’s stars can’t quite make up for the film’s sluggish pace and overly familiar plot.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average score, gave the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating “mixed or average” reviews.
Despite mixed reviews, Lange’s performance received critical acclaim. David Lee Dallas of Slant Magazine called Lange’s character “surprisingly and implicitly stern.”] Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post noted that “Subtlety may not be this film’s strong suit, but it certainly is Lange’s.” Jessica Herdon of the Associated Press added that Lange “ranges from heartbroken to helpless, dangerous to the point where your heart breaks for her. Odie Henderson praised Lange for her ability to “… [find] the perfect line between madness and vulnerability, which In Secret demands for the character’s backstory…”
Emma Myers of Film Comment described her ability to “[maintain] a terrifying presence that swings from despicable to sympathetic and back again”. USA Today described her work as “… her most profound performance”. Variety mentioned that Lange “… relishes in the role’s most dramatic power”. Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York praised the chemistry between Olsen and Isaac
