So,  as you know if you’re one of our regular readers, I am currently in the process of cleaning out my DVR.  That means that I’ve spent this week watching and reviewing a countless number of Lifetime and SyFy films.  It’s been fun and I do love watching Lifetime films but I also have to admit that I’m glad to see that I only have 8 films left to go.

Earlier today, I continued to make progress by watching Buried Secrets.  Buried Secrets originally aired on October 25th, on the Lifetime Movie Network.  I didn’t get to see it when it originally aired because I was busy dancing in my underwear at a Halloween party.  Fortunately, that’s why we have DVRs!

So, how to describe the plot of Buried Secrets?  Seriously, it’s not easy as you might assume.  There is a lot of stuff going on in Buried Secrets.  In fact, it’s probably one of the most convoluted Lifetime films that I’ve ever seen.  But let’s give it a shot:

Sarah Winters (Sarah Clarke) was a police detective who was involved in investigating the mysterious murder of police informant, Derrick Saunders (Fulvio Cecere).  However, before Sarah could solve the crime, she was accused of corruption and kicked off the force.  Sarah, of course, was totally innocent and she feels that she was set up by one of her fellow detectives, Joan Mueller (Veena Sood).  Mueller is now chief-of-police, largely because of the attention she gained by accusing Sarah of being corrupt.

Sarah also has a teenage daughter (Angela de Lieva) and a mother (Gabrielle Rose), who she doesn’t get along with.  This is largely because Sarah was adopted and she is upset because her adoptive mother refuses to give her any information about her biological parents.

Since Sarah is no longer on the force, she writes a novel that becomes a best seller.  The novel is based on the murder of Derrick Saunders and features an incompetent, untrustworthy detective named Meckler.  When Mueller demands to know if Meckler is based on her, Sarah says that she is.  In the real world, this would lead to Sarah being sued for libel and probably being driven to bankruptcy.

However, this is Lifetime world!  Mueller is concerned about much more than the real identity of Detective Meckler.  Mueller thinks that the book contains details of the crime, which prove that Sarah was the murderer.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s boyfriend, Barry (Dan Payne), is working on the security detail of Mayor Harding (Sarah-Jane Redmond).  Harding is running for reelection but it looks like she might be on the verge of losing her office.  So, Harding starts to sleep with Barry to get information about Sarah.  Mayor Harding has decided that if she campaigns on a platform that calls for banning Sarah’s book, she’ll win reelection.

And yes, that makes absolutely no sense but just go with it.

Meanwhile, there’s a mysterious homeless-looking guy (Teach Grant) and he keeps popping up at the strangest times.  He shows up at a book singing.  He follows Sarah’s daughter in the park.  And, of course, he spends a lot of time at the local DNA lab…

Okay, so you might think, after reading all of this, that Buried Secrets doesn’t make much sense.  And it doesn’t!  But that, to be honest, is the film’s main appeal.  Since Buried Secrets refuses to be tied down by logic, that means that literally anything can happen!  At it’s best, Buried Secrets creates its own hyper realized world, where everything is just a bit over-the-top and strange.  It’s a world where a major municipal election hinges on banning a novel, where book signings are fraught with drama and peril, and where one teenager can change an entire city’s mind just by grabbing a microphone and giving an impassioned speech.  It’s all so strange that there’s no way not to enjoy it.