The Doctor's Daughter or The Secret and the Lie (2006)

• 83%
• 2006
• Janine Fung

Weaving back and forth between two different times, locations and stages of a relationship, The Doctor's Daughter tells a fresh and unconventional love story that avoids clichés or preconceptions. In Trinidad in 1991, friends Nikki and Regan act on a passionate impulse that is both reckless - Regan is engaged to Howard at the time - and meaningful. Six years later, Regan and Nikki are lovers living together in Toronto. Nikki works in her father's doctor's office and maintains a close and deeply involved bond with her extended family. Yet she finds she is never able to truly be herself around the people who have known her all her life. Shot in a beautifully honest and raw cinema vérité style with stellar performances from Gillian Frise and writer/director Janine Fung, the film offers moments of simple clarity that convey the true nature and unpredictability of lives intertwined. What evolves throughout Nikki and Regan's journey together and apart illuminates the volatile and compelling nature of modern relationships.