The Lie – Between Earth and Sky (2018)

Directed by: Veena Sud | 97 minutes | drama, horror | Actors: Peter Sarsgaard, Mireille Enos, Joey King, Cas Anvar, Dani Kind, Devery Jacobs, Patti Kim, Nicholas Lea, Alan Van Sprang, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll

Divorced father Jay and daughter Kayla are on their way to a dance rehearsal. Along the way, they run into Kayla’s school friend Britney. They offer the girl a lift. When Jay loses sight of the two girls during the stop, a horrific event occurs: Kayla pushes Britney off a bridge, where the victim falls to her icy death. Jay faces an almost impossible choice: report the incident to the authorities or do everything he can to cover up the murder and keep his daughter out of prison.

‘The Lie’ paints a thorny scenario in which two enviable virtues come into conflict: protecting your child and preserving your humanity and moral integrity. How unconditional can the love we give to our children be? And how far are you prepared to go as a parent if your daughter, who is not yet an adult, is suddenly faced with years of imprisonment?

The parents in ‘The Lie’ go a long way in the end. They spin a complex web of lies in which they become increasingly entangled. Peter Sarsgaard and Mireille Enos do their job very well and convincingly assume the role of two parents who are visibly suffering from the terrible secret that hangs around their necks like an invisible millstone. Against the backdrop of a snowy winter landscape that evokes memories of the Coen masterpiece ‘Fargo’, the pair slowly but surely slide into a state of mind that is somewhere between pure despair and criminal madness. That mental demise is well worked out, while confrontations with Britney’s father and conversations with the detectives investigating the disappearance of the girl provide an extra dose of suspense.

The emotional impact of Kayla’s act on her parents is less apparent. Mom and Dad jump right into protection mode, never seeming to wonder if their daughter might be in need of some spiritual help or just a cold-blooded killer. Towards the end ‘The Lie’ also very emphatically pushes the boundaries of the credible. The apotheosis is surprising, but at the same time far-fetched and not very plausible.

‘The Lie’ is not a bad film, but probably would have worked better in a shorter format. Especially in the middle part, the film sometimes falls silent, so that the story eventually works too slowly towards a denouement that is not entirely satisfactory.