The Lie (2018)

The Lie (2018)

4/10

Starring

Mireille Enos

Peter Sarsgaard

Joey King

Directed by Veena Sud

The Lie is a movie filled with mistakes—both from the parents trying to cover up their child’s suspected murder and from the writer and director.

I haven’t seen the movie this is trying to remake, but I hope it’s better. This film takes the whole “thrilling suspense” thing to a level that becomes very tiring. At one point, I felt like the movie was going on for too long. There’s no way a couple could bond over the idea of their daughter committing murder the way they did in this movie.

The direction of the movie is set right from the start, as the suspected murder happens immediately. I’ll give the movie credit for hooking me and keeping my curiosity piqued. But when you get to the end, and you see the twist, it doesn’t make up for everything that happened. The twist made me dislike the movie as a whole because it made everything that came before it feel pointless, stupid, and questionable.

Why would killing someone (Kayla’s friend Brittany) and having your parents lie to the police, with you helping to point the finger at Brittany’s father, play out well in the end? Kayla claimed that the murder happened because boys liked Brittany more than her and because her father was looking at Brittany. In the end, none of that mattered.

Here’s what happens: Kayla is the daughter of a musician and a lawyer. She’s fifteen years old, and her parents, Rebecca and Jay, are divorced. We don’t get a full explanation of why, but it’s clear they don’t get along. Kayla is on her way to a camp with her dad driving, and along the way, they pick up Brittany. At a stop, the girls run into the woods by a river, and a loud scream leads Jay to rush to see what happened. Kayla tells Jay she pushed her friend into the freezing river. Jay runs in to try and find Brittany, but can’t. They get into the car and hide, then drive off with the idea that Kayla has committed murder.

They go to Rebecca, and after hearing what happened, she, along with Jay, starts planning how they can get away with it. The police arrive, and this is where the ending of the movie doesn’t add up. Kayla plays along with her parents, helping to blame Brittany’s father for her disappearance.

The police begin to suspect something’s wrong with the family’s story, as evidence shows they’re lying. As the police get closer, the couple becomes more desperate. Eventually, they do something so extreme that, when the final twist comes, you’ll wonder why this movie was so poorly written.

Contains Spoilers:
It turns out Kayla and Brittany faked her death so Brittany could run away with her boyfriend.

I ask myself: Why go through all this just to run away with your boyfriend? Why not just run away and come back when you're done?

This is why I believe this movie was badly written.