The Secrets We Keep: Noomi Rapace leads tense drama-thriller
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Noomi Rapace, star of Prometheus and the original adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, leads this tense drama-thriller which keeps you guessing until the end. Set in the suburbs of Post-War America, Rapace plays Maja, a Romanian immigrant happily married to mild mannered doctor Lewis (Chris Messina).
Their content existence is shattered when Maja recognises a stranger in the street (Joel Kinnaman). He claims his name is Thomas Steinman and hails from Switzerland, but Maja is certain that he is a German officer responsible for a horrific incident she suffered during the war. Capturing Thomas and putting him in her basement, she reveals her past to Lewis and the pair go about interrogating their captive. With Maja swearing he is her tormentor, and Thomas swearing she is mistaken, the pressure mounts for all involved.
The idea at the heart of this story is one that speaks to something very topics. The idea of believing victims, and trusting their trauma even if it causes the memory to be inconsistent (Maja struggles with exact recollection but recognises Thomas through his eyes), is an issue that has been at the forefront of many conversations recently. In this context, it means we are torn between the sincerity of Maja’s rage, and the desperation of Thomas’ protestations. Lewis becomes a point of view for the audience in that regard, thrown into a situation he isn’t remotely prepared for.
The bulk of the story is between the three characters, with brief flashbacks or interventions from neighbours. While the momentum never drops, the process can become repetitive as each side brings a new piece of information to light, like an improvised court trial. It’s the actors that prove vital to keeping things urgent, and Rapace leads the charge with a raw, relentless performance. On the other side, Kinnaman is frightened enough to make you question his guilt, while still offering flashes of conspicuousness to keep that question mark over his head. Messina, a reliable character actor recently seen in I Care A Lot, becomes the face of shattered domesticity. While not as flashy as his co-stars, the anxiety building behind his horn-rimmed glasses feels legitimate.
While the big reveal may seem inevitable long before it arrives, The Secrets We Keep manages to work its way into your nerves thanks to excellent performances and deceptively simple storytelling.
The Secrets We Keep is available on Sky Cinema and NOW from 14th May