Brilliant Lies (1996)

Susy Conner accuses former employer, Gary Fitzgerald, of harassment and unfair dismissal for failing to comply with his sexual demands. Relating the incident to conciliation lawyer, Marion ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Franklin

Writers:

Peter Fitzpatrick, Richard Franklin

Stars:

Gia Carides, Anthony LaPaglia, Zoe Carides

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gia Carides	...	Susy Connor
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Gary Fitzgerald
Zoe Carides	...	Katy Connor
Ray Barrett	...	Brian Connor
Michael Veitch	...	Paul Connor
Catherine Wilkin	...	Marion Lee
Neil Melville	...	Vince
Jennifer Jarman-Walker	...	Ruth Miller
Grant Tilly	...	Steve Lovett
Beverley Dunn	...	President
Brad Lindsay	...	Registrar
Barry Friedlander	...	Mr. Burton
Iain Murton	...	Mr. Hall
Tim Elston	...	Young Brian
Natalie Gauci	...	Young Katy (as Natalie Gauchi)

Storyline

Susy Conner accuses former employer, Gary Fitzgerald, of harassment and unfair dismissal for failing to comply with his sexual demands. Relating the incident to conciliation lawyer, Marion Lee, Susy comments that the trauma experienced should entitle her to a compensation payment of $40,000.00.

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Plot Keywords:

compensation | melbourne australia | family relationships | name calling | city | 

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Taglines:

The battle of the sexes is now all out war. To survive, you must tell Brilliant Lies

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bugie geniali

Filming Locations:

Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bayside Pictures,Beyond Films,Horizon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The end credits song, performed by Australian singer Kate Ceberano, with music by Nerida Tyson-Chew and lyrics by Richard Franklin, was nominated for Best Original Song for a Feature Film, Mini-Series, Telemovie or TV Series, at the 1997 Australian Guild of Screen Composers Awards.

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Quotes

Gary Fitzgerald: Listen, sweetheart, without sexual attraction the human race wouldn't have survived. The death of sex means the death of mankind, for christsake
Katy Conner: I'm not saying you shouldn't have impulses, I'm saying you should be mature enough to control them. And don't call me sweetheart
Gary Fitzgerald: I took a completely normal interest in an attractive woman and suddenly I'm a criminal
Katy Conner: After thousands of years of abuse men are finally being held accountable and you dont like it. Well, let me tell you something, Buster, ...
[...]

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Connections

References 60 Minutes (1979)

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Soundtracks

BRILLIANT LIES
Music by Nerida Tyson-Chew & Rajan Kamahi
Lyrics by Richard Franklin
Vocals by Kate Cedarano
Produced & Engineered by Ashley Cadell
Music recorded and mixed at Chartbound Sound, Melborne
Vocals recorded at John Reynolds Recording Studio, Adelaide
Available on Mushroom Records

User Reviews

Good acting, mediocre script, LaPaglia spooked me!

This tale of workplace sexual harassment is an interesting study on how people lie, cajole, and manipulate in order to get what they want. Unfortunately, the script glosses over too many potential areas of deeper insight, leaving the audience somewhat unsatisfied. Perhaps this is because it is based on a play - indeed, the dialogue and staging often resembles theatre more than usual film structure - and therefore the audience is expected to provide more of their own interpretation to fill in gaps left by the writer. The family dynamic and examination of parental sexual abuse is particularly poorly done; it felt tacked on and shallow.

I found the opening music to be entirely wrong for setting the ambiance of the film; the music is silly and light, whereas the film is not.

LaPaglia and the Carides sisters are fabulous in this movie. Gia Carides is good as a party girl who is desperate to convince an arbitrator and tribunal that she really was victimized by her boss, playing out the old "whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no" chant. Zoe Carides does a wonderful job portraying the feminist sister caught between being supportive and wondering just how much of the story really is true.

LaPaglia is the nasty boss, and so thoroughly wonderful in the role that I got chills. I'm a LaPaglia fan and generally prefer it when he plays nice but flawed guys, so in this case his loathsome character really got to me. It's a testament to his mastery of his craft that I found it hard to look at him by the end of the movie - and this is a guy I have as my desktop wallpaper! In particular, a line towards the end of the film was delivered with such malice that remembering it is making me uncomfortable even this many hours later. It's not an easy performance to watch, but I do recommend it nonetheless.

The greatest comfort to combat the on-screen unpleasantness is that LaPaglia and Gia Carides are a seemingly happy married couple!

I would say that this film is recommended for LaPaglia and Gia Carides fans, but not the best sample of either of their work. The two were also together in Paperback Romance, which is a completely different genre but much more entertaining.