Overly artsy 'Secret Life' too secretive about its message.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri)

Overly artsy 'Secret Life' too secretive about its message

Tom Baker / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Yomiuri

The Secret Life of Words

(Japan title: Anata ni nara Ieru Himitsu no Koto)

2 stars out of five

Dir: Isabel Coixet

Cast: Sarah Polley, Tim Robbins, Julie Christie

The Secret Life of Words is a noble cinematic experiment that regrettably fails. It's an issue film that tries to get past your defenses by not telling you what the issue is until it is nearly over. Until that point, you have to try to guess what the story is about.

Without giving …