I have mixed feelings about this movie. First off, the movie had a good, solid opening but was followed with very long filler material. The build up to the conclusion was a bit stretched and could've done with half the time. Nevertheless, this movie kept my attention. As a parent, I kept thinking about all the steps these parents made and how far they were willing to go for their child. What stood out most for me was that both mom and dad made huge mistakes even before the incident had occurred. From what you could tell they brushed over some very crucial parts of Kayla's life.
The mom told the dad that she knew of Kayla's cutting and to quote her 'she saw someone about it but it didn't stop so...' and just left it at that. They also seemed aware that Kayla's best friend was a handful herself, with all that running away. They seemed very caught up in their own lives and missed out on their child'. Later on when they are confronted once again by the dad of Brittany it is clear that both of them are willing to go to extreme lengths to protect their child. Kayla's dad nearly drowns him and mere minutes later her mom runs him over with a car and they let him bleed out. It left me thinking if what her parents were able to do led to Kayla's own poor decisions in life as well.
The twist at the end kind of blew me away and salvaged most of the movie for me. It was a turning point that made rethink everything I had watched prior and gave to movie a new meaning. Having Brittany be alive and the mastermind of a very messed up game was a twist that made me see this movie as one about the dangers of untreated mental health issues for both Kayla and Brittany herself. It was also painful to think about just how much these parents were put through and all of them were punished for the actions of their children but also maybe the lack of support they could've given these troubled teens if they'd paid more attention. So when the end credits started to roll I actually really appreciated the message within the movie. It leaves you with something to think about.
THE BAD: ‘THE LIE’
WRITING: 15
ACTING: 40
LOOK: 50
SOUND: 50
FEEL: 20
NOVELTY: 25
ENJOYMENT: 10
RE-WATCHABILITY: 0
INTRIGUE: 10
EXPECTATIONS: 10
The Good:
I like the ending, that somehow turns a bad situation to something seemingly better, but still much worse.
The Bad:
The acting and the way this film has been written and directed make The Lie seem very stiffly produced. It feels very thin and rough around the edges like the people involved weren't fully immersed in their jobs.
We are thrown straight into the story with little to no context or backstory given and the film fails to deliver that later on as well. This results in flat characters and a rushed plot.
Something is missing from this film dramatically. I can't feel the tension or desperation, perhaps because the characters feel so distant.
The plot just kind of floats around and gives the characters very little to do before it's time to wrap things up.
I've never seen more unsympathetic cops with less charisma anywhere. It doesn't help that the actors portraying them are stiff.
The acting is mostly devoid of depth or emotion, which is a shame because I know some of them are capable of more. It's frustrating when they don't react the way I’d expect them to in some situations.
The characters act stupidly, which adds to the frustration with this film. They make thing unnecessarily hard for themselves, considering that Rebecca is a former police. They don't even get to cover up things properly before the cops are after them.
The director never makes it clear what kind of film she wants The Lie to be. It's a lousy crime film but an even worse drama, thriller or horror.
Most of the tension and danger feels uncomfortably tacked on, mostly since the script doesn't handle the characters or the overall plot very well at all.
What a stupid ending, rendering the entire film pointless.
The Ugly:
I spent most of this film believing it’s based on real-life events until I realized that no one would act as stupidly as the characters do here.
VERDICT:
A lousily written and directed psychological “horror” that never quite seems to know what it wants to be and consequently falls flat on just about every possible aspect.
23% = :x: = BAD
Review by AlexBlockedParent2021-04-26T14:49:39Z
This movie was pointless. I can't enjoy a movie if the characters only make completely ridiculous, illogical decisions. That's all that happens in this movie. One terrible decision after the other.
The dad's reaction at the beginning was so damn stupid. There were no real reasons why he didn't call the police. They could easily just have said the girl fell, nobody saw what happened! Everything just got more ridiculous from there. And I do NOT buy that any teenager would be so stupid that they wouldn't realise "oh wow my dad fought with my friend's dad, and now my friend's dad is CHASING ME IN HIS CAR, and also the police is involved, maybe this has gone too far and I should tell my parents!". No. Nope. It makes no sense. And the parents' behaviour... I get that it's supposed to be like "parents would do anything to protect their child" but even then it doesn't make any sense. And it just made them seem like awful people, not great parents.
Also, the twist was obvious way before it happened. And it did not make anything better. The whole set-up in the beginning was so terrible that nothing could make it better.