There’s a lot of talk about female filmmakers these days. Michelle MacClaren dropping out of “Wonder Woman”, a situation reminiscent of Patty Jenkins dropping out of “Thor: The Dark World,” has made many ask: is Hollywood unfriendly when it comes to female-helmed films? It’s a sobering thought that gives you pause as it is already difficult for women to break through in the industry. For our money, there is one female filmmaker who is firing on all cylinders right now and isn’t being appreciated at the level she should be: Amy Berg. She has released two fantastic docs in the last twelve months (“An Open Secret” and “Prophet’s Prey”), and she’s got her feature-length dramatic debut on deck.
Titled “Every Secret Thing,” the movie is a David Fincher-esque psychological drama and crime thriller, and it features a solid cast of Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning, Danielle Macdonald, Nate Parker, and Common.
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“Berg directs the hell out of every crime segment in the film,” we wrote in our review from the Tribeca Film Festival last year. “And there’s a strong level of craft in sequences that would make Fincher and ‘Se7en‘ DP Darius Khondji proud.” Here’s the official synopsis:
EVERY SECRET THING is a psychological crime thriller produced by Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand (Fargo), which premiered in the Spotlight section at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Amy J. Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis) and written by Nicole Holofcener (Friends With Money, Enough Said), it is based on a 2004 novel of the same name by New York Times best-selling author Laura Lippman about the chilling consequences of the secrets we keep. The film stars Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning, Danielle Macdonald, Nate Parker, and Common.
Detective Nancy Porter (Banks) is still haunted by her failure to save the life of a missing child from the hands of two young girls. Eight years later, another child goes missing in the same town just days after Ronnie and Alice (Fanning and Macdonald), the two girls convicted of the former crime, were released from juvenile detention. Porter and her partner (Parker) must race against the clock to prevent history from repeating itself. But as they begin to investigate the girls and their families, especially Alice’s protective mother (Lane), they unearth a web of secrets and deceptions that calls everything into question.
Adapted by celebrated director Nicole Holofcener, "Every Secret Thing" is due in theaters and on iTunes on May 15th. Watch the first trailer below.
