SummaryA Secret Love tells an incredible love story between Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, whose relationship spans nearly seven decades. Terry played in the women’s professional baseball league, inspiring the hit movie A League Of Their Own. But the film did not tell the real-life story of the women who remained closeted for most of their lives. This ... Read More
Directed By:Chris Bolan
Written By:Chris Bolan, Alexa L. Fogel, Brendan Mason
A Secret Love
Metascore
Generally Favorable
77
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
100% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 30, 2020
100
Bolan's film is essentially a home movie, that fantails into a larger cultural narrative of post-war North American culture. Shot on video between 2013 and 2018, mostly in intimate indoor settings, the film begins as fly-on-the-wall style cinema verite.
Apr 30, 2020
80
When you look at the faces of the elderly Donahue and Henschel, even at their most frail, the young women within shine through. It’s enraging that society made them feel they had to hide. But their happiness is the ultimate triumph.
User score
Generally Favorable
82% Positive
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
14% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
May 5, 2020
10
Beautiful and very touching. Love wins! The documentary shows the beauty and respect in an AMAZING couple. Highly recommended. Cried a lot.
May 2, 2020
10
It was beautiful. Surely will make viewers pull up their tissues because there is no way you will not shed a tear or **** ten.
Apr 30, 2020
75
A Secret Love is guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings. It might be the quarantine or it might just be effective storytelling, but a scene near the end of the family coming together — not even a sad scene — left this reviewer in tears and I’m willing to bet I won’t be the only one.
Apr 29, 2020
75
There is no crying in baseball, but you might just be reduced to a puddle of tears while watching Bolan’s film, which finally brings the duo’s love out of the shadows and gives it a long-overdue chance to shine.
Apr 28, 2020
75
There’s a French saying, “In love, there is always one who kisses and one who offers the cheek,” and usually, the more interesting story belongs to the one doing the kissing. In A Secret Love, that’s Pat.
Apr 29, 2020
70
Fans of queer cinema, "A League of Their Own" or just good old-fashioned love stories will find much to celebrate in A Secret Love, including a profound wedding scene that rivals any of the nuptials in cinematic history. As it turns out, there is crying in baseball.
Apr 29, 2020
65
Affecting at times and downright tear-jerking at others, their story is tied to the saga of gay life in America over the past 70-plus years. Still, it ends up feeling less like a history lesson and more like a universal acknowledgment: growing old with some kind of grace and peace should not be this hard.
Jun 2, 2020
5
An amazing documentary! I forgot their was a camera present which is always a good sign. The sensitive, intimate scenes enabled us to fall in love with Terry and Pat, which is a credit to the director, Chris Bolan. Highly recommend, especially now during these tumultuous times. We could all use a little love and inspiration though this universal story.
