Culture
Review

Little Secrets

Little Secrets avoids theological lectures but delivers an engaging story

Christianity Today November 18, 2002

Little Secrets (Samuel Goldwyn Films) is part of a growth industry among Mormon filmmakers, though the only presence of Mormonism in this film is its location shooting in Salt Lake City.

Teenager Emily Lindstrom (Evan Rachel Wood) is such a stickler for honoring confidences that she builds a small business as confessor and secret-keeper for the other children in her suburban neighborhood.

Little Secrets caught much critical flak for being too squeaky-clean, but that’s a bum rap. It works in a subplot involving drunken driving and engages the point well. Further, Little Secrets (and Richard Dutcher’s much darker and challenging Brigham City from 2001) are models of how to tell faith-based stories without hammering people with theological lectures.

Douglas LeBlanc edits The CT Review.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

The official site for Little Secrets has games and movie information.

Apple.com’s movie preview site has the QuickTime trailer for Little Secrets.

ChristianityToday.com’s weekly Film Forum looks at what mainstream and religious critics are saying about recent films. Film Forum looked at Little Secrets  in August.

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