Elizabeth Olsen stars as Thérèse, a young woman whose domineering aunt, Madame Raquin (Jessica Lange), forces her to marry her cousin, Camille Raquin (Tom Felton), despite that she's not in love with him. Her heart belongs to her true love, Laurent LeClaire (Oscar Isaac), with whom she has a romantic, sexually-charged affair behind her husband's back. She and Lauren hatch a scheme to kill Camille, but little do they expect the emotional consequences in the aftermath of their murderous plan.

      Based on the novel "Therese Racquin" by Émile Zola, In Secret seamlessly combines the elements of steamy romance, suspense and emotionally-charged drama. Writer/director Charlie Stratton takes his time to introduce you to the characters and to the dynamics of their relationships so that by the time that Thérèse has an affair with Laurent, you not only feel their chemistry palpably, but you understand why she chooses to engage in that affair. Madame Raquin may not seem likable at first, but part of what makes this film so extraordinary is the complexity of its characters; in no way does she, Thérèse or Laurent seem bad in a cartoonish way. In other words, they're fallible human beings with anger, regrets, remorse and, above all, a moral conscience. Once that conscience comes into play, In Secret grows increasingly interesting and riveting.

      The casting directors deserve kudos because everyone nails their part perfectly; no one feels miscast. Elizabeth Olsen sizzles in her role of Thérèse and tackles the nuances moments of fragility with conviction. Her eyes reflect many deep human emotions concurrently which enriches the film. Jessica Lange, one of the greatest actresses of our time, delivers a mesmerizing, magnificent performance and sinks her teeth into her role quite smoothly. She's very effective at conveying a lot of thoughts and feelings with nuances sans words even when the film gets into dark territory. How she managed to shake off this role emotionally is a whole other matter, but what's certain is that, like any great actress, she has dug deep enough to find her character's core--her truth--successfully. You won't soon forget Lange and Olsen's haunting scenes together later in the second act. To top it all off, In Secret also offers exquisite cinematography, costume and production design that further adds to the authenticity onscreen. At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, In Secret is spellbinding, intelligent and suspenseful.