White Lie

It would have been easy to produce a film with this premise and provide a cut-out 'mean girl' as the central character. Thankfully the writers and producers here are much smarter and have given us something quite unique.

Kacey Rohl's performance as Katie Arneson is brilliant. Morally her behaviour is appalling, but is played with such subtlety that I found myself strangely sympathetic.

She is obviously mentally ill, whether by whim of fate or something darker in her past. Her increasingly desperate attempts to keep the lie alive do not feel evil or driven by avarice, but by the need to hold on to the acceptance and love she finds with her 'diagnosis'.

The film lacks the usual Hollywood trappings and as such feels like an almost documentary-like record of a period in Katie's life. Be prepared to be thrown into the story (and out of it again) with almost no exposition or explanation and certainly no satisfying 'gotcha!' ending.

Overall a teriffic piece of work by all involved, which I highly recommend.

There's so much out there masquerading as "film" or "TV" these days that it's refreshing to witness the great talent of Canadian filmmakers like Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas...even if it's on the small screen. They both have a keen knack for storytelling and their cinematic intuition right on the money. WHITE LIE does a great job of upping the ante every step of the way. The tension keeps building to a point where you're wondering what will finally happen to Katie? This is a simple but engaging story that really speaks to this generation's social turmoil. I really enjoyed this a lot. It's certainly worth watching, especially if you're a cinephile.

Absolutely loved this movie, good and plausible storyline, with great acting

This is a real hidden gem. Going into the film, I saw the trailer and read the synopsis. Both sounded interesting enough. Nothing could prepare me for how good this would be. Not that I thought it would be bad, but the plot sounded very simple. And that was confirmed after finishing the film. But even the most simple plot can make an amazing film if the acting, direction, and writing are all on point, as was the case with this film.

Kacey Rohl gives a really riveting, convincing performance. The amount of tension and suspense she's able to imbue on screen is remarkable. How she can emote so much with her eyes is really excellent. You feel bad for her. You feel she's a monster. You feel she's mentally unstable for telling this lie to everyone that she has cancer when in reality she doesn't. Amber Anderson is also great as her compassionate girlfriend. The writing was very strong and taut. There were no wasted moments. The directors do a great job of putting the audience in the headspace of the main character, and as a result, you're constantly on-edge. It feels like the rug can be ripped from right under you at any moment.

The only thing I kind of disliked about the film was the ending. It's very abrupt and feels like there should've been more to get closure as the audience. But it also sort of works because, much like life, and much like those living a lie like the lead in this film, there are no happy endings.

Highly recommend checking this out. Kacey Rohl is a complete revelation. This is such a tense, effective, thrilling, twisty, and unsettling film.

Mark Twain once said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The truth may hurt, and it may not be as glamorous as a lie, but at least it's honest. And the truth will keep us out of more trouble than we already find ourselves in. By the time we meet our protagonist, Katie (Kacie Rohl), she is well past that point. As the camera zooms in, we see her shaving her head. In the next scene, Katie is participating in a fundraiser for her cancer treatments. The audience still is not completely knowledgeable about whether she actually has cancer or not. But the thought has already been planted that perhaps she is not quite telling the truth. Within the first five minutes, the basic plot structure has been set in place. Katie is a college student and dancer who is faking cancer to raise money. The next hour and a half, we follow Katie as she goes from one meeting to another trying to keep her lie from imploding. The audience sees the depths she is willing to go through to continue her façade. Katie is in over her head and does not know how to come back from the trap that she finds herself in. One does question whether she wants to come back. The audience is left wondering if she likes the game. The movie is unsettling, as we watch Katie use and manipulate many people in her life to maintain her lie. The question that lingers as the viewer watches her twist her way out of each predicament, is whether it's worth it. What would happen if she just came clean? Katie is constantly having to remember details of what she has said and what she is doing. The audience is left with a feeling of exhaustion at her desperation. We really want to see her lie be found out. If nothing else just for relief. The filmmaking is well done with great camera shots and fantastic dialogue. Kacey Rohl's performance as Katie, is subtle and yet she can portray a character that the viewer pities.