Nothing to Hide
In December of 2018, Netflix delighted viewers with another fun and thoughtful film. Nothing to Hide is a French comedy about infidelity and relationship secrets. It’s worth a watch, as it can inspire some interesting conversations. The film tried to analyze the appearances and social images of romantic relationships. Also, it invites viewers to reflect on how relationships evolve over time.
The movie takes place at a dinner party. An old group of friends has gotten together and decide to play a game. The game involves putting all their cell phones in the middle of the table during dinner and agreeing to read any emails, texts, or phone calls out loud to the group. After this occurs, the characters are immersed in a terribly dramatic scenario.
The plot
A group of friends gets together to have dinner. The first sign of trouble is that one of them shows up without their new partner, who their friends haven’t met yet. Before dinner even starts, you see some details that suggest that it isn’t the best night for some of the couples. Also, you can sense the effort that everyone is making to have a nice dinner.
As they’re talking, one of the women proposes a game as a way to challenge her husband. She says that if no one has anything to hide, everyone should put their cell phones in the middle of the dinner table while they eat. They agree that they’ll read every text, email, or call out loud to the group. In spite of everyone’s reticence to play, they all agree because they don’t want anyone to think they have secrets to hide.
A dangerous game
When someone is jealous and insecure, they tend to be excessively controlling with their partner. Trusting your significant other is one of the foundational aspects of a good relationship. Nevertheless, it’s very difficult to achieve and quite fragile.
So what does psychology say about this? Well, if you feel the need to spy on your significant other, there’s obviously a problem in your relationship. The problem is that either your mistrust is unjustified or that it is. Whatever the issue, at the end of the day, it isn’t helpful to place the blame on one person or the other. It’s a relationship, so it’s a shared problem.
The movie shows different types of relationships. Some of the couples have been together for a long time and have teenage children and brilliant careers. Their relationships are worn out in a lot of ways. Their passion is almost nonexistent. In addition, in these relationships, both partners decided to look for something to fill the voids they felt.
Another couple seems to be quite the opposite. It seems that they haven’t lost their passion for each other and they love to show it off in public. They don’t want anyone to question their wonderful relationship. However, sometimes, this is the type of couple that has the most to hide. Thus, externally, they pretend that everything is fine in order to hide all their inner secrets.
When a relationship is based entirely on romance
This movie is a good example of the stigma associated with relationships that seem to be based entirely on romantic love. Sometimes, your social circle can be the thing that doesn’t allow your relationship to grow and mature. In fact, facing that social pressure requires a maturity that many couples just don’t have.
Not only that, but every relationship is unique. The most important question the movie poses is if it’s better to have a relationship in spite of the secrets or to air out all the secrets to see if your relationship is worth saving. Nothing to Hide doesn’t just ask if relationships have secrets but why.
In short, this is a highly enjoyable film that’s both funny and thoughtful. Check it out on Netflix today!