The Secret Life of Words

Some mysteries are better left raveled. That’s the lesson, though unintentional, of this doleful, nobly intentioned love story/sociopolitical melodrama hybrid. The mix works when the backstory of withdrawn factory girl Hannah (Polley) is an enigma; her gig as an oil-rig nurse, however, opens old wounds, and her penultimate-act confession (and a loquacious shrink played by Christie) can’t help but let the air out of the movie. I won’t spoil the secret, but the presence of noted do-gooder Tim Robbins is a tip-off. (Opens Fri 15; Quad.) — Mark Holcomb