Lying

This movie is BOORRRR-ingggg. A veritable snoozefest about four young women who get together for weekend in the one girl's parent's farm house. It sounds like a typical horror movie beginnings, but it isn't. Just a series of unrelated subplots with very little dialog. About the only thing the women do together is drink wine and search the house for the source of a noise (which is never really revealed.) They could have at least spiced it up a little with some nudity or lesbian sex scenes, but it didn't even offer that.

It isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is certainly the most dull.

LYING is a fey and contemplative film which attempts to examine the various levels and applications of deception. Megan, played by Chloe Sevigny, is a young woman who is obsessed with control. She honestly feels that if she is allowed to dominate and dictate events, everyone will benefit from her machinations. Her behavior is certainly neurotic, but her intent is not malevolent. The story is set on a beautiful country estate in upstate New York, and on an Indian Summer weekend, Megan invites three friends to relax and work on a short film project. The entire weekend is predicated on several falsehoods which the girls must accept in order for the prevarication to become real. Megan's actual mission is to see if she can induce her guests to enter a hypothetical world of her construction. The film is paced very slowly, almost hypnotically, and information is divulged sparingly which tends to heighten the effect of never knowing exactly what to believe. This film is not for everyone, but gradually and by degrees, LYING does enable the viewer to contemplate the art of manipulation. If you liked the classic Australian art film, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, you will probably appreciate what M. Blash, the writer/director, has attempted in LYING.

I just saw this film at Cannes film festival. The fact that Chloe Sevigny was in it propelled me to go, as she usually appears in above average films. However this film is so bad I can't begin to describe why. It even got booed in the screening room. Saying this, I still think this film is worth seeing, if only to provide you with a film to place at the bottom of your movie lists, or to just give you an insight into the elements of bad film.

I have to say that the cinematography is good, as are the performances, there is just no substance. Another successful part is how the film somehow made me believe something good was going to happen around every corner, even up until the credits, (but I can assure you nothing did).

Overall I simply think that this film is trying to be too arty and too out there, and it just crosses the line.

Even though the movie has an intriguing start it ends nowhere. Megan is setting up for the arrival of her friends, moving the furniture, hiding things, putting things away, etc. She brings boxes filled with dolls and the movie spends a ridiculous amount of time placing the dolls all over the front yard. Many small details are scattered around during this first part. The point is that when the girls come, all of this material just got wasted. The dialog is nonsensical, so are the actions and the plot. The only thing that made me watch me till the end is to see wheather or not the movie was going to bring the clues together. It did not. At the end, when the lights came on the whole audience in the room sighed in with relief and was happy to leave. My suggestion is: spare yourself 90 mins of your life, I almost see every movie that comes out and am able to pick the good points no matter how small they are out of every movie. In this one there's none.

I recently had an opportunity to see "Lying" written and directed by M. Blash (What's with the M. btw). I was initially attracted to this film because of Chloe Sevigny, Jena Malone and Leele Sobieski, all of whom I'm a fan of and none of whom disappointed in this film.

Lying is an effortlessly realistic depiction of what it would be like to go on vacation with three other people you hardly know. The "organic" conversations; sparse, almost awkward dialogue which shows how women interact with other women who are basically strangers. The tranquil countryside setting is so beautiful, and it is a perfect backdrop to the storyline.

As a viewer, I felt like I was on the vacation with these women; drinking wine, eating home-cooked meals alfresco, and exploring the nature that surrounds the spectacular home that they are visiting.

The cinematography is very well done. It is simple, yet elegant. The emphasis on the mundane; such as making coffee, truly makes this film appear that it is following some of the neo-realist aspects of film-making. The shots are well put together and thoroughly thought out. The use of natural light makes the movie really come to life. The rose colored sunsets, the bright yellow sunrises, etc.

The performances are so understated, that they are completely realistic. Chloe Sevigny gives a truly magical performance as Megan. She floats through the scenes, breezing through the light conversations as if these were words that she would just be saying anyway. Her performance is utterly natural.

At the end of the day, the film is about coming to know other people's intricacies. It is a slow-paced journey through a sublime weekend in the country.

I would absolutely recommend this movie. It is the perfect summer film to watch while drinking a glass of wine and reclining on your chaise lounge.