# Secret Obsession
**Secret Obsession** is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Peter Sullivan, written by Sullivan and Kraig Wenman, and released as a Netflix Original on July 18, 2019.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) It stars [Brenda Song](https://www.edgepedia.org/brenda-song) as Jennifer Williams, a woman who loses her memory after a violent attack and is cared for by a man claiming to be her husband, with [Mike Vogel](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-vogel) as Russell and [Dennis Haysbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-haysbert) as Detective Frank Page.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) Despite largely negative reviews, Netflix reported that 40 million households watched the film in its first four weeks.[3](https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Peter Sullivan (director, co-writer, co-producer); Kraig Wenman (co-writer, executive producer)[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) |
| Lead cast | Brenda Song (Jennifer Williams), Mike Vogel (Russell), Dennis Haysbert (Detective Frank Page)[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) |
| Release | Streaming on Netflix from July 18, 2019[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) |
| Runtime | 1 hour 37 minutes (98 minutes per the Australian classification record)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) • [4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/secret-obsession) |
| Production company | Hybrid[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) |
| Viewership | 40 million households in the first four weeks, per Netflix in October 2019[3](https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/) |
| Critical reception | 29% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (17 reviews); 41% audience score[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
Netflix's announcement logline describes the setup: a brutal attack leaves a young woman with amnesia, and as her memories begin to return she realizes she no longer knows who to trust, not even those closest to her.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) The film opens with Jennifer Williams stalked by a shadowy figure with a knife and struck by a car; she wakes in a hospital unable to recall her past, and the man presenting himself as her husband, Russell, takes her home to a secluded mountain estate while Detective Frank Page investigates the attack.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/secret-obsession) • [6](https://joebakerreviews.com/2020/09/15/secret-obsession-2019-film-review/) The central twist, that the man is not her real husband, is credited to Daniel Booko in the role of "Real Russell" in the cast list.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419834/fullcredits)
## Production and cast
The film was produced by Hybrid, the company of producers Jeffrey Schenck and Barry Barnholtz, with Brian Nolan and Peter Sullivan as co-producers.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) Netflix announced the project in December 2018, billing Sullivan as a director of television movies including *Jingle Belle* and *The Wrong Cruise*, and noting Song's roles in *The Social Network* and *The Suite Life of Zack & Cody*, Vogel's in *The Brave*, and Haysbert's in *The Dark Tower*.[1](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix) The supporting cast includes [Ashley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashley-scott) as Nurse Masters, Paul Sloan as Jim Kahn, Scott Peat as Ray, and Blair Hickey as Scott.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419834/fullcredits) Jim Dooley composed the score, Eitan Almagor was the director of photography, and Randy Carter edited the film.[8](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/secret-obsession/cast/2030340858/)
## Reception
**Critical response was negative.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 29% Tomatometer from 17 reviews and a 41% Popcornmeter score from more than 250 audience ratings; the site's critics consensus calls it "mostly a formulaic and dumb thriller" that may offer some thrills and unintentional laughs.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) Reviewers singled out plot logic as the main weakness. Sean [Collier's](https://www.edgepedia.org/colliers) review in *Pittsburgh Magazine* rated it 2 out of 10 and objected that the story asks viewers to believe a patient could undergo days of medical treatment without being positively identified, then be released into the care of someone who had also never identified himself.[9](https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/the-400-word-review-secret-obsession/) NPR's Linda Holmes described it as "a pretty bad movie, but it seems to be bad in the way it's meant to be bad," calling it cheerfully trashy.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019) Metacritic lists one published critic review, a negative 38 from Movie Nation, and a mixed user score of 5.0 from 25 ratings.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/secret-obsession/)
**Audience reach far exceeded the reviews.** In October 2019 Netflix said 40 million households watched the film in its first four weeks on the platform.[3](https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/) A biography of co-writer Kraig Wenman states that the film premiered to 40 million views and placed in the top ten most-watched Netflix Original films.[6](https://joebakerreviews.com/2020/09/15/secret-obsession-2019-film-review/)
## Classification and content
The Australian Classification Board rated the film M with the consumer advice "Mature Themes, Violence, Sex Scenes," recording a duration of 98 minutes and a classification date of July 18, 2019.[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/secret-obsession) Common Sense Media, which lists the film as unrated and 97 minutes, recommends it for ages 15 and up, describing a "woman in jeopardy" thriller in which the heroine is stalked and threatened throughout, with brief sexual flashbacks, a few curses, and wine at dinner among the content notes.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/secret-obsession) In the United States, Metacritic lists the rating as TV-14.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/secret-obsession/)
## References
1. [Brenda Song, Mike Vogel and Dennis Haysbert to Star in Hybrid's "Secret Obsession" for Netflix, About Netflix (12 December 2018)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/brenda-song-mike-vogel-and-dennis-haysbert-to-star-in-hybrids-secret-obsession-for-netflix)
2. [Secret Obsession (2019), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/secret_obsession_2019)
3. [These Are the Most Popular Netflix Shows and Movies, According to Netflix, Time (October 2019)](https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/)
4. [Secret Obsession, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/secret-obsession)
5. [Secret Obsession, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/secret-obsession)
6. [Secret Obsession (2019), Film Review, Joe Baker, 15 September 2020](https://joebakerreviews.com/2020/09/15/secret-obsession-2019-film-review/)
7. [Secret Obsession (2019), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419834/fullcredits)
8. [Secret Obsession, Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/secret-obsession/cast/2030340858/)
9. [The 400-Word Review: Secret Obsession, Pittsburgh Magazine (Sean Collier, 18 July 2019)](https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/the-400-word-review-secret-obsession/)
10. [Secret Obsession Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/secret-obsession/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Thriller and mystery films › Titles O to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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