Directed by:
Clément Virgo
Starring:
Lauren Lee Smith ………. Leila
Eric Balfour ………. David
ThinkFilm presents Lie With Me. Based on the novel by Tamara Berger. Running time: 92 minutes. NOT RATED. Available on DVD: February 14, 2006
The Movie
We’re in a time right now where filmmakers are in a battle with the MPAA over what should and shouldn’t be shown in films, at the top of that list is sexual activities. Trying to bring sensuality in to films (where appropriate) is a tough fight in the industry. Films like Lie With Me are only holding back that struggle in cinema, as it proves to be the exact reason why people don’t want sex on film in the first place.
Leila uses sex to avoid her problems in life, a form of escapism to not have to spend time thinking over all of the things running through her mind. This sex addiction has become a part of her and she uses it like a drug or a crutch to get by in life the only way she knows how. The big problem in her life at the moment is the sudden knowledge that her parents are going to divorce. She meets up with David at a party who’s also going through a rough patch in life, he’s caring for his sick and elderly father. They soon find themselves in a very hot and heavy relationship which leads to yet another problem that both of them have to deal with, her unwillingness to form a relationship with David who wants more than what they currently have. David fights to show Leila how to love which is one thing she has little knowledge of and with her parents splitting is wondering if it even exists at this point in her life.
I’m sorry but you can make an art house style film on subjects like this in a much classier manor, everyone involved from the director, producers, actors and everyone else involved should be forced to a time out until they realize what they’ve done here. I don’t know what the two young actors were thinking when they agreed to be a part of this, people have been blacklisted in Hollywood for doing far better films than this one. The bulk of the pictures dialogue is pointless pretentious monologue voice overs by the hollow lead character we’re never given time to care for. We’re pushed straight in to the sex never finding out exactly who it is we’re watching and they use these voice overs as a quick catch up of what Leila is thinking inside.
Lie With Me brings very little to the table in the form of originality, boy meets girl, they fall for each other, things get rocky, they then need to figure out what to do in order to salvage the relationship. All that’s “new” is instead of doing what most films do and cut away when the sex starts it chooses to instead stay on the action. The characters are still cliche and uninteresting with actors who do very little to make them feel real. Not enough plot to be considered a drama and too much talking to be considered pornography Lie With Me is a film without a message or a purpose.
The DVD
Video:
(Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
Shot on super 16, Lie With Me has a very vivid look and feel to it, when we’re outdoors the picture is rich and vibrant thanks to the film being shot in Canada during the summer season. The video has clear grain due to the choice of shooting on super 16 but overall the quality is very good here.
Audio:
(English 5.1 & 2.0)
There’s very little difference between the two options as both seem to sound identical. The audio comes out clear through hall the speakers and suits the film nicely
Extras:
Feature Length Commentary – The director and lead actress are on the commentary and instead of trying to explain why certain choices were made and perhaps cause people to view the film differently they instead choose to goof around and have a few laughs. The very few moments of the director talking about the movie itself involve him watching hours and hours of french films that are similar to Lie With Me‘s subject matter to get an idea on how to capture it on film. Many times the director admits to stealing the visual style used for certain scenes from other films exactly how he saw them.
Also on the DVD are the Theatrical Trailer, a Photo Gallery, and a Trailer Gallery.
The Inside Pulse
Don’t bother wasting your time on a movie like this one, other films have done a far better job of looking at female sexuality in the past while this one just seems to crib its visual style from them.
