The Secret Life of Words

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The Secret Life of Words

2005

1h 52m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

71%

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38 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A solitary nurse (Sarah Polley) bonds with a badly burned patient (Tim Robbins) who survived an accident on an oil rig.

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Critics Consensus

The Secret Life of Words is a slow, mannered drama, but with a revelatory and powerful ending that rewards the patient viewer.

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Frank Scheck

The Hollywood Reporter

12/30/2006

The claustrophobic and artificial atmosphere of the setting is unfortunately matched by the equally artificial drama.

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Lael Loewenstein

Los Angeles Times

12/21/2006

3/5

There may be no young actress today better at embodying a blend of wounded innocence and stoic pride than Sarah Polley. In The Secret Life of Words, she has a part worthy of her gifts.

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Andrew Sarris

Observer

12/20/2006

Though I continue to have strong reservations about the stylistic abstractions in Ms. Coixet's narrative, the performances given by Ms. Polley, Mr. Robbins and Ms. Christie take me a long way in accepting and recommending the whole package.

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Jean-François Vandeuren

Panorama

01/29/2010

7/10

Un parcours vers une existence un peu plus normale que Coixet illustre avec tact et simplicit en tirant merveilleusement profit de l'immense talent de ses deux interprtes

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Andrew L. Urban

Urban Cinefile

07/25/2008

Heartache is guaranteed. And so it is in The Secret Life of Words, a strangely beautiful film about an ugly memory that Hanna (Sarah Polley) carries for the rest of her life

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Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

05/03/2007

1.5/4

Can't resist the meaningful political backstory that will transform her characters into symbols--that is, into ventriloquist dummies rattling off humdrum rhetoric.

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Dan F

@Dan_Frazier Dec 16

Just watched this one again after more than 10 years. I could not remember many details, but I remember the powerful feeling it left with me the first time. I had to watch it again. I was surprised how much I had forgotten, but in the end the feeling was the same. The movie is slow, and sometimes painful, but in the end, very satisfying. Amazingly powerful film on a small budget. Great acting!

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Jamie K

@RT87900416 05/21/2025

This is one of my top 5 favorites of all time. The story is truly believable and plays on multiple emotions. The cast and acting are superb. ❤️❤️

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John M

@RT16358991 11/24/2024

A story of trauma, partly from the Balkans war, events of psychological damnation inflicted, parallel and explosive flames aboard an oil rig, each nurse one another and a little bag that connects them both.

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11/30/2020

It's a wonderful film. I feel lucky to have sent it on the big screen. You don't see many like this any more.

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11/22/2015

a difficult story to tell, counted with powerful images

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06/13/2015

Wounds of mind are always more difficult to heal than those of flesh.

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Isabel Coixet

Director

Sarah Polley

Hanna

Tim Robbins

Josef

Javier Cámara

Simon

Sverre Anker Ousdal

Dimitri

Julie Christie

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Synopsis

A solitary nurse (Sarah Polley) bonds with a badly burned patient (Tim Robbins) who survived an accident on an oil rig.

Director: Isabel Coixet
Producer: Esther García
Screenwriter: Isabel Coixet
Production Co: El Deseo S.A.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.0K
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital