The Secret Life of Words
2005 · Movie · NR · 115 min · ★ 7.0 · 69% critics
A solitary nurse takes a job caring for a badly burned survivor of an accident on an oil rig. As they spend time together in isolation, a quiet bond forms and both begin to open up through small, honest conversations.
Also known as La vie secrète des mots
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Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2005
- Release date
- 2005-12-15
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (227 votes)
About
If you like quiet, emotionally driven dramas about healing and human connection, this may work for you, especially if you enjoyed My Life Without Me or Elegy; Not for you if you want fast pacing or lots of action.
Pros: intimate character focus; emotional connection; gentle pacing | Cons: slow-moving story; heavy themes; minimal action
Themes
- factory worker
- dying and death
- depression
- factory
- nurse
- yugoslavia
- dubrovnik
- war crimes
- loss of loved one
- torture
- oil platform
- woman director
- +1 more
Awards & recognition
- European Film Award — Best Actress · 2006 · nominated
Cast & crew
Sarah Polley
as Hanna
Tim Robbins
as Josef
Javier Cámara
as Simon
Danny Cunningham
as Scott
Dean Lennox Kelly
as Liam
Daniel Mays
as Martin
Eddie Marsan
as Victor
Steven Mackintosh
as Dr. Sullitzer
Julie Christie
as Inge
- EI
Emmanuel Idowu
as Abdul
Directed by Isabel Coixet