Even before the film debuted on the exhibition circuit in Brazil Secrets of a scandal went through a process of discussion (perhaps even controversy) surrounding his Golden Globe nomination. In the award's dichotomy between drama and comedy productions, the film competed in the second category.
How can you? After all, everything about the story of Secrets of a Scandal, which hits national cinemas this Thursday, January 18, suggests that it's a good drama perhaps even to the point of being a drama.
The plot follows actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) as she visits the person who will inspire her next big screen character. That inspiration is Gracie (Julianne Moore), a quiet housewife who makes a living baking cakes for the neighborhood. She has a strange relationship with her husband Joe (Charles Melton), who is significantly younger than her.
Worse, even at 36, he already has a daughter in college and two more finishing school. The account will not be closed. Because of this age difference, which is revealed through an awkward conversation between Elizabeth and Joe, director Todd Haynes places us in this family hurricane. But make no mistake: the film goes far beyond conflict.
And here we come back to the discussion about the category in which Secrets of a Scandal was submitted at the Golden Globes. There is nothing banal in this plot, which may even seem like a story from classic Manoel Carlos soap operas, but set in a North American suburb. Nothing classic. Haynes returns to his roots as a filmmaker who enjoys poking fun at society (see the great 2002 film Far From Paradise) and laughing at lies.
Well, there's something funny about lying. Why exactly does a person lie? Look better than someone else. Pretending things are working out when in reality they are collapsing like a house of cards. To maintain your status quo. In the end it's all ridiculous. It's gross. Haynes knows this and carries this feeling into the film.
Julianne Moore as Gracie AthertonYoo and Charles Melton as Joe in Secrets of a Scandal. Photo: Netflix/Disclosure
The director does not take Elizabeth and Gracie seriously this is shown in a scene right at the beginning of the plot, when Julianne Moore's character opens the refrigerator door, the camera takes a closeup, the soundtrack sounds and at the end we just hear it swear that you need more sausages .
He knows that these two characters live in a farce and therefore takes it as a social comedy of the ridiculous. Secrets of a Scandal laughs at society.
More: Based on this story written by two newcomers, Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, Haynes also condemns cinema while laughing at the machine that is Hollywood. In addition to an impeccable performance from Natalie Portman in her best role since “Black Swan”, it shows how the gears of this industry work.
However, don't think that “Secrets of a Scandal” is limited to a single genre or a single inappropriate comment. After showing how ridiculous everything is, the filmmaker tries to point the finger at those who matter most: the one who is really suffering in the middle of it all. Society is propped up by lies, but someone is paying the price.
Charles Melton (Joe Yoo) and Natalie Portman (Elizabeth Berry) in “Secrets of a Scandal” Photo: François Duhamel/Netflix/Disclosure
The last 30 minutes of the film are spectacular. Haynes reverses the narrative and immediately turns comedy into tragedy. Melton, who was barely passable on stage, delivers one of the greatest performances of the year.
And the film, which has everything to be one of the best of 2024, ends on a very high note, pointing to us, society, and asking: What do we consume? What are we lying about? Who pays for our lies? Why do we lie? You could say a punch in the face would be less painful.