Separate Lies

2005, Drama, 1h 27m

88 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings

What to know

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. Read critic reviews

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Separate Lies Photos

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Movie Info

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.
  • Rating:
    R (Some Sexual References|Language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Julian Fellowes
  • Writer:
    Nigel Balchin, Julian Fellowes
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     original
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $923.3K
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Fox

Cast & Crew

Tom Wilkinson
James Manning
Emily Watson
Anne Manning
Rupert Everett
William Bule
Linda Bassett
Maggie
David Harewood
Inspector Marshall
John Neville
Rawston
Hermione Norris
Priscilla
John Warnaby
Simon
Julian Fellowes
Director
Nigel Balchin
Writer
Julian Fellowes
Screenwriter
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Separate Lies

All Critics (88) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (25)
Full Review… J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Full Review… Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel Full Review… Jamie Woolley BBC.com Full Review… Raoul Hernandez Austin Chronicle Full Review… Connie Ogle Miami Herald Full Review… Bruce Westbrook Houston Chronicle Full Review… Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Full Review… Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Full Review… Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile Full Review… Jonathan Kiefer Sacramento News & Review Full Review… John J. Puccio Movie Metropolis Full Review… Walter Chaw Film Freak Central
View All Critic Reviews (88)

Audience Reviews for Separate Lies

  • Sep 25, 2012
    Nice! A great British thriller executed by great actors. Classic themes but nicely presented in an original storyline.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Jan 18, 2009
    Separate lies, starring Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, and Rupert Everett is a good drama. A film that centers on a love triangle of a married couple and a death of a neighbor intersects these people...very good film.
    Mason W Super Reviewer
  • Jun 07, 2008
    It's alright but it's been done many times before and I can't remember anything unique about it.
    Sunil J Super Reviewer
  • Dec 07, 2006
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Separate Lies", James Manning(Tom Wilkinson) is a high powered solicitor who commutes to London from his home in Buckinghamshire, where he lives with his wife, Anne(Emily Watson). Despite his reluctance, Anne throws a cocktail party but James ducks out by staying late at the office. In the meantime, their housekeeper's husband was killed by a hit and run driver. After noticing a scratch on the car belonging to their neighbor, William Bule(Rupert Everett), James confronts him and gets an admission of guilt and a promise to turn himself in to the police. When presented with this news, Anne is taken aback because not only was she in the car with William when it happened, but she was actually behind the wheel. To make matters even worse, William and Anne have been having an affair.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Separate Lies" is an understated drama with some very powerful scenes. Themes of success, guilt and morality are handled in a very intriguing manner. [/font][font=Century Gothic]The movie is buoyed by an excellent performance by Tom Wilkinson. And nobody does leonine decadence like Rupert Everett.[/font]
    Walter M Super Reviewer
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