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Separate Lies

Play trailer Poster for Separate Lies R 2005 1h 27m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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72% Tomatometer 88 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
James Manning (Tom Wilkinson), a successful business lawyer, and his younger wife, Anne (Emily Watson), split time between a London apartment and a lush country estate. The couple's seemingly perfect marriage gets complicated when their handsome and wealthy neighbor, Bill (Rupert Everett), returns to town and Anne begins sleeping with him. After Bill and Anne are linked to a hit-and-run death, James, aware of the affair, must choose whether to protect his wife or come forward to the police.

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Separate Lies

Separate Lies

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Critics Consensus

Though the characters in this tasteful adult drama keep a stiff upper lip, the moral dilemmas are nuanced and the emotional pain feels real.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 06/28/2022
Wilkinson, returning to meatier fare after Batman Begins and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, gives one of the most complex performances of his career, and the leads are ably assisted by Linda Bassett... Go to Full Review Jamie Woolley BBC.com 11/01/2005
3/5
A solidly made but strangely lightweight drama. Go to Full Review Raoul Hernandez Austin Chronicle 10/30/2005
3.5/5
Julian Fellowes is two for two. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 06/09/2010
B
Wilkinson and Watson give sharply observed performances, that don't allow the film to become a sudser. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 04/19/2009
B+
"Separate Lies" is a hearty mystery/drama that blooms as a succinct social critique of British aristocracy. Go to Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile 05/13/2006
A fascinating character study of lies, truth and the consequences Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Dec 18 An excellent drama with a superb performance by the late great Tom Wilkinson. I would rate this as equivalent to In the Bedroom. The point of the movie is human interactions. If someone sees crime and mystery, they have completely misunderstood the movie. See more Madeline R @RT00765985 10/23/2024 What a stupid story. Good acting, scenery and sets but thats about all. It is not a thriller or a mystery. The plot actually makes little to no sense in that I do not think people would act as they did in this film. A waste of time. See more Ron G @RT93051786 10/10/2024 If this was a Universal Studios movie from the late '50s early '60s starring Lana Turner or Susan Hayward, it would probably work. But today it's just a bad soap opera wasting the talents of a great cast. See more Fiona S @RT76451171 08/01/2024 Leave your suburban judgements on the couch. Julian Fellowes has sculptured a truly frightening portrait of why "the rich are different from you and me!" His script captures the absolute moral entitlement of the British upper class who always realise how much they have to lose when things go wrong. This strong belief is guided by character nuanced performances by all the leads. Don't be fooled by the seemingly immoral pivot decisions "not to tell". The ending is not lightweight as some say, it's heartbreaking. See more Marco M @RT40736272 07/23/2023 Solid film with great performances. See more isla s @RT89656869 09/04/2022 This is a pretty average thriller about upper class people (the fact its co-written and directed by Julian Fellowes of 'Downtown Abbey' fame was a bit of a give away). I wasn't too bothered about the characters and didn't find the story too engaging, though I did think Emily Watson gave a good performance. At first I thought I'd guessed the outcome and felt quite clever but I'm not sure it's as simple as I'd assumed. I didn't feel entirely bothered to follow all the sub plots. It comes across a bit like an extended drama show, only without much to compel me to want to find out what happens in the end really... there is somewhat of a twist by the end but its all pretty average, so I wouldn't go out of tyour way to watch it as such, no. See more Read all reviews
Separate Lies

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Cast & Crew

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Julian Fellowes

Director

Tom Wilkinson

James Manning

Emily Watson

Anne Manning

Rupert Everett

William Bule

Linda Bassett

Maggie

David Harewood

Inspector Marshall

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Separate Lies

A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". A scene from the film "SEPARATE LIES". View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis James Manning (Tom Wilkinson), a successful business lawyer, and his younger wife, Anne (Emily Watson), split time between a London apartment and a lush country estate. The couple's seemingly perfect marriage gets complicated when their handsome and wealthy neighbor, Bill (Rupert Everett), returns to town and Anne begins sleeping with him. After Bill and Anne are linked to a hit-and-run death, James, aware of the affair, must choose whether to protect his wife or come forward to the police.
Director
Julian Fellowes
Screenwriter
Nigel Balchin, Julian Fellowes
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Celador Productions
Rating
R (Some Sexual References|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 16, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$923.3K
Runtime
1h 27m
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