Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson are impeccable as a wealthy British couple whose failing marriage spirals out-of-control when a hit-and-run accident leaves a bicyclist dead on a country road in this beguiling drama. Screenwriter Julian Fellows ("Gosford Park") makes an impressive directorial debut with this adaptation of Nigel Balchin's novel "A Way Through The Wood." A web of lies connect James Manning (Wilkinson) and his wife Anne (Watson) to their ever-blasé neighbor Bill Bule (Rupert Everett). Manning is forced to continually lower his strongly-held morals when facts to the terrible crime begin to emerge. "Separate Lies" is a hearty mystery/drama that blooms as a succinct social critique of British aristocracy.
Rated R. 87 mins. (B+) (Three Stars)
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