| The Secret Friend | |
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| Directed by | Flavio Alves |
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| Screenplay by | Flavio Alves |
| Story by | João Silvério Trevisan (short story) |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Jack Woodbridge |
| Cinematography | Adam McDaid |
| Editing by |
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| Release date(s) | June 27, 2010 (Palm Springs) |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country |
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The Secret Friend is a 2010 comedy-drama film based on the 1997 short story of the same name by Brazilian writer João Silvério Trevisan.[1] The film, directed by Flavio Alves, features Viola Harris and Siobhan Fallon in the major roles.[2] Filming took place in early 2009, mainly in Brooklyn, New York, and debuted at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival,[3] where it was chosen as Best of the Fest.[4] The film centers around the character and life of Anna Marshall, a lonely, elderly widow living in a suburb of New York City, who develops a mysterious friendship with a silent caller.[5]
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A reclusive, elderly widow, Anna Marshall, lives in quiet desperation following her husband’s death until she begins receiving daily phone calls from a silent stranger. At first Anna finds the calls intrusive, but as the calls continue unabated Anna finds herself waiting for her phone to ring with growing anticipation prompting her to reach out to her silent prankster. An odd and mysterious friendship evolves between the two as Anna shares her life experiences with startling honesty. Empty days are given new hope, but when the calls abruptly end a devastated Anna is compelled to surprising action to fill the unbearable void.
The Secret Friend was well received at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it was chosen as the 2010 Best of the Fest. Since then, the film entered more than 60 film festivals and won 15 awards.[6] It has also received an overall positive reception from critics, with most reviews singling out Viola Harris's performance. Phil Hall of Film Threat, who gave the film a positive score for example, argued that Viola Harris "truly deserves to be in the center of the spotlight."[7] Harry Haun of Playbill called the film a "Golden" and Felix of Cinema Crazed called it "a slice of life" and gave the film three and a half stars out of four."[8]