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

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.

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.

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