32. Lies We Tell; movie review

LIES WE TELL
Cert 15
110 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language

A really well-acted tense thriller or the promoter of racial stereotypes? Both thoughts were at the forefront of my mind after watching Mitu Misra's Lies We Tell.
I was particularly mindful of the racial profiling after listening to a radio debate surrounding the subject earlier this week.
However, Misra should know his subject better than me - after all he was brought up in Bradford where the film is based.
Lies We Tell has a compelling story but it does refer to the backwardness of the older generation of Pakistanis, the aggressive misogyny of the young men and the casting out of those (particularly women) who jar with tradition.
Gabriel Byrne stars as Donald, the quiet right-hand man who is left to tidy up the 'indiscretions' after his boss (Harvey Keitel) dies.
One such secret takes the form of his mistress, Amber (Sibylla Deen), who is training to be a lawyer.
She takes badly to being told that her lover is dead but, after a short time, begins an intriguing platonic relationship with the messenger.
The skill of Lies We Tell is in the shaping of both of the key characters who have found themselves united in their isolation.
It also delves deep into a community where tradition is bing used as a veil for abuse.
Exploiter-in-chief is a local hard man (Jan Uddin) who has no conscience in degrading women and in his thrust for power.
Meanwhile, Amber becomes more and more frustrated that what she sees as logical and just arguments for change being rebuffed.
Lies We Tell is occasionally sleazy and violent but relies on neither. Instead, it provokes contemplation about community and society in general.
Byrne, Dean and Uddin give powerful performances which lure in the audience for very different reasons.
But I would be interested to know what ethnic minority audiences would make of its portrayals.

Reasons to watch: in my opinion it is a well-acted tense thriller
Reasons to avoid: it could be accused of racial stereotyping

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10

Director's statement - Mitu Misra: “Lies We Tell is, on the surface, about a man forced to confront an underworld that he has stumbled into - but I can tell you now it is also about a strata of British society, that lives by its own laws, that really exists." 

The big question - Is this a real representation of families of Pakistani heritage in the UK?

Share this post