The best cinema always gets you thinking and if a film ever had the power to do that you've just found it. How you scale and share your empathy between cause and effect might reveal a lot about the way you perceive the world around you. On the one hand - she'll get what's coming to her, deceitful so and so and, on the other, what has happened to cause this young woman to behave this way. Either way, whatever your bias, I think you'll find it hard to ignore that at the centre of this is an outstanding and convincing performance from Kacey Rohl.
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Xstal14 October 2020
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Newb producers, writers and directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas put together a gem of a film, where one's self-interest combined with sociological expectations and acceptance, blur into paranoid toxicity of constant lies that tear apart lovers, friends and families. Kacey Rohl was amazing in her role, and her facial expressions added more anxiety and tension than the lies themselves. Cinematography was perfect, and the score on point. The 96 minute runtime felt longer with the slow pacing and continuity issues in the writing. But even still, the constant anxiety you will have watching this film, is a testament to the excellent film-making put together by newbs Lewis and Thomas. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me.
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therealdaklone24 July 2020It would have been easy to produce a film with this premise and provide a cut-out 'mean girl' as the central character. Thankfully the writers and producers here are much smarter and have given us something quite unique.
Kacey Rohl's performance as Katie Arneson is brilliant. Morally her behaviour is appalling, but is played with such subtlety that I found myself strangely sympathetic.
She is obviously mentally ill, whether by whim of fate or something darker in her past. Her increasingly desperate attempts to keep the lie alive do not feel evil or driven by avarice, but by the need to hold on to the acceptance and love she finds with her 'diagnosis'.
The film lacks the usual Hollywood trappings and as such feels like an almost documentary-like record of a period in Katie's life. Be prepared to be thrown into the story (and out of it again) with almost no exposition or explanation and certainly no satisfying 'gotcha!' ending.
Overall a teriffic piece of work by all involved, which I highly recommend. -
jamactechnical22 July 2020...the story could have been presented better IMO. Kacey Rohl did well in her performance and she really did carry the film to a watchable event. It was a bit slow as expected on a character study but I felt there was too much time spend on her trying to get her fake medical records. I really liked Martin Donovan performance with her and it would have been better if more time was spend showing their relationship rather than her covering her tracks so much. I think it would have given the viewers a better understanding of what was making her tick. The ending was not satisfying, very abrupt and I thought, that's it? A decent 6 stars but 8 for the actress.
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ranprieur19 May 2021Kacey Rohl's performance is as good as acting gets. But the story is just a series of events in which Katie's lie is about to be exposed, and she struggles to keep it hidden. It doesn't build, the characters don't learn, and there's no payoff.
I understand the filmmakers are trying to be real, and this is a serious and well-made film, but I can't imagine anyone enjoying it. -
simpletonreview26 December 2020Mark Twain once said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The truth may hurt, and it may not be as glamorous as a lie, but at least it's honest. And the truth will keep us out of more trouble than we already find ourselves in. By the time we meet our protagonist, Katie (Kacie Rohl), she is well past that point. As the camera zooms in, we see her shaving her head. In the next scene, Katie is participating in a fundraiser for her cancer treatments. The audience still is not completely knowledgeable about whether she actually has cancer or not. But the thought has already been planted that perhaps she is not quite telling the truth. Within the first five minutes, the basic plot structure has been set in place. Katie is a college student and dancer who is faking cancer to raise money. The next hour and a half, we follow Katie as she goes from one meeting to another trying to keep her lie from imploding. The audience sees the depths she is willing to go through to continue her façade. Katie is in over her head and does not know how to come back from the trap that she finds herself in. One does question whether she wants to come back. The audience is left wondering if she likes the game. The movie is unsettling, as we watch Katie use and manipulate many people in her life to maintain her lie. The question that lingers as the viewer watches her twist her way out of each predicament, is whether it's worth it. What would happen if she just came clean? Katie is constantly having to remember details of what she has said and what she is doing. The audience is left with a feeling of exhaustion at her desperation. We really want to see her lie be found out. If nothing else just for relief. The filmmaking is well done with great camera shots and fantastic dialogue. Kacey Rohl's performance as Katie, is subtle and yet she can portray a character that the viewer pities.
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wellloaded5 August 2020I think this is a good production but it made me feel very sand even after the viewing. It's painful to watch and that's what the directors wanted.
The story is pretty simple but good: an avalanche of lies that grow out of control and you'll feel the pain of each of them.
There are two things that doon't fit in my opinion: you would never ask so many pushy specific questions to person with cancer I wouldn't at least, also some of the questions she gets continuously asked by random people seem to arrive from a specialised doctor (some terms I personally have never heard in my life)..
These two elements made it a bit unreal, but that's me.
Nonetheless I would suggest the viewing -
BandSAboutMovies17 December 2020Originally called Baldy, this movie is all about Katie Arneson (Kacey Rohl from The Magicians and Arrow), who has become a poster girl on her campus as she continues to attend classes despite fighting what seems to be a losing battle with cancer. Despite this diagnosis, she remains a popular undergrad with a close-knit group of friends and a fulfilling relationship with her partner Jennifer (Amber Anderson, Emma).
There's only one problem.
She doesn't have cancer.
Written and directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas, this is a fearless movie that presents a character that we should, by all right, absolutely hate. Yet by the time we see how Katie has used sympathy and fame to gain everything she wants - while giving up on her family, with a father who remembers how she got away from school in the wake of her mother's suicide by faking another sickness - at the cost of everyone who has fallen in love with her.
From the description, I didn't think that this was a movie that would engage me for as long as it did. I'm happy to report that this was better than expectation and urge you to seek it out and watch it for yourself. -
ks-6050015 August 2020The process of what the liar being faced is quite a good lesson to all us, even that we known is a jail time crime but people still take the risk of fraudulency. The story end at certain point without any conclusion and the focus can be put on the actress way of acting.
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lcherresse18 July 2021The story itself was pretty good. Kept me interested throughout. I just hate when a movie has no solid ending. This was one of those movies.
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tanyarichards-2074117 January 2021I wondered what i'd get with this and i was surprised by the intensity. a very good performance by the actors and the directors did their job well. i would recommend this movie if you like suspenseful character driven movies where you don't know what's going to happen next. a very nice treat!
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vwtqdxnky8 October 2023The whole time, I just wanted to tell her that this is an impossible lie to tell. That doctor at the end will charge you more than you've raised. Come clean, then just move to a new city and try to make new friends. Hopefully no traces left on the internet.
Other thing is that this movie oddly tries to be as politically correct as possible in a film that has no need to. I did the math. Do you know what percent of people are homosexual? What percent of doctors are black in Canada? What percent of lawyers black in Canada? The answer respectively is 4%, 1%, and 2%. The odds of this actually occurring in real life. 0.0008% or more directly 1 in 125,000 that scene of a couple and a doctor and a lawyer unfold this way. This is what bothers people about this political correctness: it paints something that does not match up with reality.
Overall, I want to know the desire to do this? If it was to raise money? Why not just graduate college and get a job that will maybe raise the same amount. I understand how serious mental illness is, I just think even the mentally ill go for something that's worth it. This just didn't seem worth it. -
sasham-8660812 April 2021Has no story line ,,no start no finish,,just big drama whit no point and direction ! Boring.
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tnovak-8678715 August 2020On a bleak, sunless city canvas the wirey figure of Katy, confident, collected, con-woman has what we all desire - youth, beauty, admiration, a lover - most based on complex deception. Her faux cancer infects her soul as she collects willing amoral confidants to satiate her needs, and lies to those that offer trust and support. Seemingly on the brink of admission, she slips backward again upon receiving the fuel of another deceived soul. I was fascinated and captivated with Kacey Rohl's powerful portrait of a more-common-than-I-am-comfortable-with archetype in 21st century modern society: the self-centered pathological liar. Reminds me of a certain abhorrent political executive. Smart, sparse script; always powerful, poignant cameo by Martin Donovan, wonderful lightly tense musical score, all keeps us totally engaged as Katy dodges disaster on her dangerous journey. The kind of film I love, though a dark portrait. I will keep this one and view periodically, and watch for more from Lewis and Thomas.
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dsh2874 January 2021Literally was on the edge of my seat the entire time!!!!
I love love love this movie. -
jonasatmosfera29 August 2020What is the point of "White Lie"?
That we have to feel sorry for human garbage like the main character? Or that we have to learn that humans can be real scumbags? Is someone trying to legitimize cheating, dishonesty?
Is she a victim of the male-dominated patriarchal society? Or is she a woman crying for help? I do not get it.
Either way "White Lie" is one of those films that are technically well made, but as a empty as any other arsty fartsy film.
There is nothing here. You should go for a walk instead of wasting time with "White Lies". It will be more rewarding. -
scottbarry-8835828 August 2020Absolutely loved this movie, good and plausible storyline, with great acting
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MovieCriticOnline2 January 2023Good acting, well directed, interesting idea but... the man character is unbelievably despicable so it's hard to root for her and her lies. In fact, I was rooting for the father, but not enough of the film was spent on him.
Amber Anderson (Jennifer) forgot her Canadian accent throughout the movie since both her parents and brothers spoke with a North American accent, but she didn't. It made no sense and never explained.
This could have been a GREAT film, but it needed to be told from the point of her father or her girlfriend as they discover her lies of deceit.
But the biggest blunder of the film was the ending. Really, as many others have pointed out, disappointing. You don't build up a story with so many possible endings that could have worked and then give us this lackluster finale.
Kudos to the actors and the naturalistic approach to filmmaking and storytelling. But the problems simply defeated any positive and took too many steps backwards for me to give it a higher score.
I didn't like the constant music indicating how we should feel about what we are seeing. Also, the editing was a bit off too in several places. Again, the biggest issue is the main character's awful behavior and decisions. Sometimes you can have a character that does a bunch of bad stuff, BUT the way it was approach you don't necessarily hate them, in fact you can even like them. For example, Jerry in Fargo does bad things and his decisions are bad for everyone around him, but you understand his motivations and he is funny to watch. Here I never understood her motivations (money, attention?), which was a big problem why I would be interested in liking her. It's the opposite. I hated her and her scheme. It was never explained, which is a huge problem.
Every story CAN be told, BUT you need to make sure the WAY you tell the story still keeps the audience captivated and don't hate the main character.
It actually played more like a TV more than a theatrical.
4 Stars for the acting, and authenticity. -
xrod-7676726 January 2021There's so much out there masquerading as "film" or "TV" these days that it's refreshing to witness the great talent of Canadian filmmakers like Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas...even if it's on the small screen. They both have a keen knack for storytelling and their cinematic intuition right on the money. WHITE LIE does a great job of upping the ante every step of the way. The tension keeps building to a point where you're wondering what will finally happen to Katie? This is a simple but engaging story that really speaks to this generation's social turmoil. I really enjoyed this a lot. It's certainly worth watching, especially if you're a cinephile.
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ricky_dry_county23 July 20201) I went in like I go into every "new" movie with critics' approval: Suspicious. Especially on the back of that terrible film "Palm Springs" I tried to watch a couple of days ago. This had some petty nods initially but boy, does it take you on a ride. 2) What an amazing acting performance by the lead (everyone's good though). Pretty incredible. I hope it gets enough recognition, we have something special here IMO. 3) A refreshing thriller sort of a storyline here. The anxiety level is ""Uncut Gems" scale, although way more believable than that. 4) At first, one might be disappointed by the ending, I was too. Then I realised it just portrayed reality and avoided an overtly dramatic Hollywood twist. 5) The soundtrack is a perfect example of how you can put in weird string noises but not annoy the viewer (used very judiciously). Definitely a 9/10!
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georgio-2649013 January 2021After reading the synopsis for this film i was going in with hate for the main character having (like many) had my life disrupted with cancer. however, i felt sorry for the girl in the lead role, maybe more pity than resentment. the film rolls on at a steady pace and shows the highs and lows and love and hatred through the eyes of one that is trying to scam and hoodwink for financial gain and a strong loving relationship. the acting is amazing, it is well directed, it would have gotten a 10 from me but for the ending which kinda fizzled out instead of ending with a result. a solid good effort,
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alpheusthelover26 January 2021The acting was fantastic. The direction was also amazing. I think this was an amazing experience.
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ops-5253521 July 2020I bet a whole lot of may days to live, that he would have written a novel or shortstory over or out of our modern way of digital and virtual lives.its a film with a gutwrenching truthfactor, in fact the realism is so desperatly realistic that when you leave the screen you will feel 100 percent sick and unconfortable, because when the lie becomes more venomous an malign than cancer itself, well what could be worse than this.
its an interesting take on ourway of social digital lives, on the instagram, facebook or twitter, wher you can many times a day stumble over peoples screams for help in in a desperate life situation, e.g. poverty, sickness and death, begging for you to donate money to mak this individual well and sound. many people do take the bait and even more than that, and in 99,9 % these are real and true cries, but have you ever thought that this just could be a twist or a lie to drain money from your credit card to personal wealth, and where sikcness and poverty are just a lie. i will challenge everyone of you reading this review to have a good look into this dispairingly well acted and well made movie over this phenomena.and the worst is that what happens next.
please continue this script and make a sequel dear author/ director because its important and actual in our modern lifestyle of today.
i hope for heavens sake that i, the grumpy old man , would never have to start begging for donations to relieve sickness and gain health, thanks to a pretty solid velfare system in my home country there are a safety network that covers high expences when needing treatment, and im so unbelievably happy that i do not have to watch every move i make or every step i take that isnt covered through my private health insurance that i do not have.
this is a wakeup call for every sleuthyfull con'ers and every brainless donor, to make a second thought and check( no, not the one from the bank) before you lend your wallet to someone you dont know. to give or not to give thats the largest consciensious choice of our lives today, my recommend is to watch this film and thereafter ask yourself, are't thou?? -
chughesbabb4 October 2023A scammer movie with a horror vibe. The main character is a traumatized and messed up young woman who's concocted a vile lie in order to profit financially and socially. Her dad doesn't believe her, calls her out and she has to go to desperate lengths to convince everyone she's telling the truth. She is awful. We see not quite enough background to understand why. I would have liked a little more about what makes her tick. As it is she's not really sympathetic but she is fascinating. (Why do so many audience reviewers think characters have to be likable or sympathetic? I like characters to be terrible people sometimes.)
The horror to me is the prospect of what she's gotten herself into. Events near the end of the movie show her getting help from scary people who will collect on her debt (in money and presumably beyond; note her driver's warning tone when he leaves her at the "doctor").
By pulling off her con one more day she is digging herself into a deeper more dangerous hole that could very well have the same outcome as terminal cancer. This is what the father feared and why he tried to stop her. So while the ending is too abrupt for some, it also leaves you imagining what her future will look like ... dreadful.