Secrets & Lies is a 1996 British film directed by Mike Leigh and starring Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It tells the story of Hortense Cumberbatch, a successful black woman who traces her family history and discovers that her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley, is a working class white woman. Cynthia's brother, Maurice Purley, is a photographer who is married to a petty house-proud suburban housewife.

Although Leigh is credited with writing the screenplay, most of the performances were actually improvised: Leigh told each of the actors about their roles, and let them create their own lines.

Secrets and Lies was partly filmed in Whitehouse Way, Southgate, London.

The emotional scene in the bar, in which Cynthia realises that she is indeed Hortense's mother, was filmed in a single uninterrupted take of almost 8 minutes.

The film was a critical success. It has a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that collects film reviews, with an average rating of 8.7, significantly higher than the average rating for most other films.

The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Brenda Blethyn), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

The film also won the 1996 Palme d'Or and Best Actress (Brenda Blethyn) awards at the Cannes Film Festival, and Golden Globe and BAFTA Best Actress awards.