A Secret Love
A Secret Love is an 2020 American documentary film, directed by Chris Bolan. Ryan Murphy serves as a producer on the film, while Jason Blum serves as an executive producer under his Blumhouse Productions banner. It stars Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel.
A Secret Love | |
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Directed by | Chris Bolan |
Produced by |
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Written by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Duncan Thum |
Cinematography | Stephen Kazmierski |
Edited by | Bernadine Colish |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
It was released on April 29, 2020, by Netflix.
Plot
A former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and her partner, Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, run a successful interior decorating business and keep their lesbian relationship a secret from their families for almost seven decades.
Cast
- Terry Donahue
- Pat Henschel
- Diana Bolan
Production
Chris Bolan, the director of the film, took a trip to visit his two great aunts, Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel. They told Bolan about their life together and after hearing it Bolan decided to tell their story via a documentary film.[1]
Release
The film was scheduled to have its world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020; however, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3][4] It was released on April 29, 2020.[5]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 7.91/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "In telling one couple's story, A Secret Love pays understated yet powerful tribute to a lifetime of choices and sacrifices made in the name of enduring devotion."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 12 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote that the film is "heartfelt."[8] Robyn Bahr of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that A Secret Love is "tender without being cloying, naturalistic without seeming contrived."[9]
Shannon Keating of Buzzfeed wrote that "insidious homophobia [is] baked into this very telling of their story.[10]
References
- Aziz, Neha (February 3, 2020). "Get to Know the Women Behind Chris Bolan's Documentary A Secret Love – SXSW Filmmaker In Focus". SXSW. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- Ray-Ramos, Dino (January 15, 2020). "SXSW Sets Judd Apatow's 'The King Of Staten Island' As Opening-Night Film, Unveils Features And Episodics Lineups". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- Low, Elaine (March 4, 2020). "Netflix Cancels SXSW 2020 Screenings, Panels Amid Coronavirus Fears (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- "A Secret Love". South by Southwest. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- Trumbore, Dave (April 22, 2020). "'A Secret Love' Trailer Documents a Forbidden Romance 65 Years in the Making". Collider. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- "A Secret Love (2020)", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 2020-06-27
- "A Secret Love", Metacritic, retrieved 2020-06-27
- Zacharek, Stephanie (April 30, 2020). "A Secret Love Is a Bittersweet Celebration of Two Women's Six-Decade Romance". Time. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Bahr, Robyn (April 28, 2020). "'A Secret Love': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Keating, Shannon (May 7, 2020). "Netflix's New Lesbian Documentary Is A Straight Take On Queer Love". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved May 8, 2020.