White Lie movie review

MOVIE TITLE: White Lie

Rock Salt Releasing will release it on various digital streaming platforms on 1/5/2021 (DirecTV, Amazon, InDemand, iTunes, FlixFling, AT&T, Vimeo on Demand, Vudu, Fandango & Google Play).

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film, which was originally entitled Baldy, stars up-and-comer Kacey Rohl (Hannibal ) as a lesbian who fakes a cancer diagnosis for financial gain and her struggle to maintain her fabrication.

The feature was written and directed by Toronto-based Amy George and The Ox-Bow Incident duo Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis.

Let’s talk about the definition of a white lie: a harmless lie that is usually told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. What happens in this psychological thriller is most definitely not a white lie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Two lesbians kiss and snuggle in bed. You see skin and one of them topless
Profanity including F-bombs
Drug use
Criminal behavior

THEMES:

Truth
Trust
Scams and crime
It’s so much easier to just work for your money in an honest way.
Selfishness
Mental illness
Overcoming past traumas
Buying someone’s silence
The power of social media
Choice and consequence
Relationships and how our actions affect other people
The things we do for acceptance and love

THINGS I LIKED:

Featuring Toronto International Film Festival rising star Kacey Rohl who does a fantastic job, especially her performance at the 1 hour, 25 minutes mark. We’re sure to see a lot more of her.
Other talented cast members include Martin Donovan (Tenet, Big Little Lies Seasons 1-2 Twin pack (DVD)), Connor Jessup, and Amber Anderson.
I really liked the framing of some of the shots and the cinematography by Christopher Lew.

The musical score was…interesting. It was amusing to hear what Lev Lewis was going to do next.
The film does a very good job getting you to ask yourself how much you trust your ability to read people, discover what’s true, and trust the stories others tell you. Viewers will vacillate between being disgusted by the protagonist and feeling sorry for her mental state.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s really hard to feel sympathy for someone who is so dishonest and takes advantage of other people’s generosity and kindness.
It’s truly terrifying to think that there are that many people out there who would be willing to falsify records in order to allow such a dishonest person to continue the fraud.
It’s shocking how little research the protagonist did on cancer before telling everyone she had it.
The ambivalent ending is a jolt that will leave you thinking about the film for a while.
There really isn’t any humor. It’s pure drama.