Secrets in the Family (2022 Lifetime)
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Cast: Maia Alvina, Stuart Constable, Ayan Elmi, Louise Lambert
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Ana is a nurse struggling to pay for school. When she comes across a lucrative job caring for Joan, a woman struggling with dementia, Ana is intrigued. Joan’s children, Carla and Jason, interview Ana for the job and, despite Carla’s cold demeanor, Ana wins them over. Following a rough start with Joan, Ana eventually earns her trust and begins dating Jason. When Joan tells Ana she thinks someone is trying to kill her, Ana dismisses Joan’s claim as paranoia, although Ana has noticed the groundskeeper, Terry, has an unhealthy interest in Joan. As strange things begin to happen and lead to Joan’s sudden death, all signs point to Ana as making one too many careless mistakes. Determined to find out what’s really happening, Ana brings her suspicions to Jason, but he’s convinced this is all just a delusion his mother has concocted. Could he be right? Or was Joan telling Ana the truth all along? Stars Maia Alvina, Ann Macdonald, Robert Notman, Louise Lambert, and Stuart Constable (2022).
Recap/Wine Thoughts
A woman named Ana runs around a factory and is fighting for her life. A woman in high heels follows her cooly, calling her name.
Flash to two weeks earlier, Ana is working in a retirement center, and her friend shows her a job posting. Ana meets with the family, Jason and Carla. They tell Ana about their mother, who lives on an estate and is in a state of mental decline. They need full-time care. Ana admits that she hasn’t lived outside of the city but doesn’t have any relationship attachments. Jason hires her on the spot, and Carla has Ana sign a contract and an NDA.
Ana drives out to the home and signs pretty well in the car. On her way, she stops at a local market to pick up flowers for the mother of the house, Joan Regan. The shop owner tells Ana that the Regans are a hated family in town and then mysteriously covers up a scar on his arm.
When Ana arrives, the sketchy property manager Terry gets her bags; the movie makes it known that he has a prosthetic hand. The home has no Wifi, which doesn’t seem to concern anyone. (I would be so out of there) Ana meets Joan and doesn’t like the flowers; the lilies are pungent. (I agree with Joan here.) She is also racist! (Joan rudely assumes that Ana is Spanish when she is Filipino.)
At dinner, Joan drags everyone to hell, but somehow Ana wins over the old witch by complementing the salad. (Haha! What!?!) While Ana takes out the trash after dinner, she is yelled at by the property manager. He tells her she is not one of them just because they shared a meal. She will NEVER be.
Ana talks with Jason and Carla about Joan’s care. They won’t trust her to book doctor appointments but are sure to tell Ana about Joan’s peanut allergy.
Joan is very particular about everything, and when they go shopping, the store owners talk mad shit about Joan and her family. Hank, the store owner, eventually kicks them out when Joan breaks a jar.
Back home, Joan gets upset when dog food is in the groceries. She forgot her dog died and bought some by mistake. Ana lies and says she bought them by mistake when Joan becomes upset. Ana suggests they go for a walk through the woods, and Ana shares about her family. Ana’s mother died of cancer, inspiring Ana to become a nurse.
Jason stops by for dinner and flirts with Ana when his mother isn’t around. They towel fight in the kitchen and laugh flirtatiously. Carla interrupts and thinks that Jason only hired Ana because he thinks she is attractive.
In the middle of the night, Joan screams and almost attacks Ana with a fire poker. Joan is perplexed and thinks she heard a burglar in the house. Joan is terrified. She tells Ana that everyone hates her as she cries. Ana stays with Joan and lays next to her. They both fall asleep.
Terry continues to lurk around the house and jump-scare Ana. He accuses Ana of being a gold digger. The conversation is interrupted when Joan comes home from a doctor’s appointment. Joan forgets her purse in the car, and Ana offers to go get it. She sees Terry and Carla heatedly talking in the driveway. Before Ana can hear what they are saying, Ana finds Joan on the floor, having anaphylactic shock. Ana saves her and calls 911.
Carla is suspicious of Ana and angrily tells her that no more mistakes can happen. (Ana knows she bought soy butter, not peanut butter, and has the receipt to prove it.) Ana cries to Jason, who consoles her and then kisses her. Ana kisses him back and doesn’t care that he is her boss. They have sex, and Jason has a surprisingly hot body. (His Canadian accent made me think he was a dork.) They are almost caught by Joan, like a couple of teenagers.
Joan and Ana have some tea. Joan also spills the tea, as the kids say, and lets Ana know that she is leaving the business to Carla because she is more level-headed. Jason will get an inheritance, but he is too foolish, in Joan’s opinion.
On a stormy night, Joan screams again. This time she sees a man standing out in the rain, and Joan is sure that the man is coming for her. Ana tries to reassure Joan that no one is outside.
Joan gets out of the house at night and unsets the alarm. She goes missing, and Ana runs into the woods to look for her. Ana finds Joan fallen over a steep end of the hiking trail. Ana is horrified and cries, I feel for her.
Everyone blames Ana, including Jason (He is especially cruel.) Carla files criminal neglect charges and kicks Ana out of the house. Ana leaves and goes to the crime scene to lay some flowers as a sign of respect. Terry scares her and forcefully removes Ana from the property.
Ana stops by the grocery store to talk to Hank about the peanut butter jar. He tells her that she couldn’t have gotten the wrong item. She also asks about Hank’s hand; he lost it at the Regan plant and didn’t get a payout.
Terry catches Ana snooping around the house and chases her through the woods. Ana cuts him with a box cutter and slashes his tires so he can’t come after her. (Smart move, Ana!)
Ana goes to the factory to talk to Jason. She tells him about Terry attacking her and about Terry’s motives for wanting to hurt Joan. Ana also shows him evidence that she found Terry and Carla communicating. Carla shows up and tells Ana she has been having an affair with Terry. Jason breaks things up between the two women and tells Ana to leave them alone.
Jason messes up and mentions the shoes that Joan was wearing when she disappeared. Ana suspects him of killing his mother and setting Ana up. Caught, Jason admits to picking Ana because she was an easy mark. Ana punches him in the face with her keys and runs deeper into the factory. Jason isn’t far behind with a crowbar.
Carla returns to the factory and helps her brother look for Ana.
Ana uses a pipe to defend herself, and Jason almost kills Ana, but Carla stops him. Carla realizes Jason is out of control and knocks him out with a pipe. Ana gets a piece of wood and beats Jason in the face.
One year later, Ana is in a new relationship and has a fun purse! She meets Carla for dinner to get the lowdown. Jason is sentenced to 30 years in hail, and Carla gives Ana a photo of Joan so she can remember her. A check for 100K. They share a bottle of champagne.
Side Note
This movie really made me want peanut butter.
Minority Report: Ana, Ester, Police Officer, Waitress,
Also known as A Family’s Secret
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Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪 (1 Knife)
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Give it a shot)
Put a Cork in It (Skip It)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media @LifetimeUncorked & @patrickmiguel
*Photo Credit: © 2022 Lifetime® | A+E Networks®
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Hey, princess. García is a Spanish last name, that is why Joan assumes that Ana is Spanish. She is not racist. Don’t be ridiculous.
I always immediately come here after watching a movie wondering what Patrick will say. Ialso wanted peanut butter and had to make myself a peanut butter and pumpkin butter sandwich while watching this. Subliminal message maybe. And to your comment “His Canadian accent made me think he was a dork” he still was. Okay body, but still wasn’t cute enough, IMO, for all that sass in the end. Ana was super smart with some choices but also fell (literally) into some of the Lifetime tropes. Enjoyable movie though while I washed dishes and got ready for the next day.