There are spoilers in this review. Read with caution if you haven't seen this film yet.
No matter where you stand on the whole issue of hate between people of different religions, colours and creeds, you WILL read something different into this film depending on personal perspective.
I must point out it's very difficult to try and review a film without letting my own personal bias creep in. I will state for the record that i'm totally opposed to violence and that people who discriminate are fundamentally stupid NO MATTER what colour or creed or religion they are.
So here I am, the day after i've watched this film and i'm still thinking. This is good. What isn't good is the fact I found the films intentions slightly confused. For a start, the title is bound to provoke. Why? "White Lies" is a very sweeping statement to make when lies are all around us every day (and not just from white people either).
So we start out with a central character who (and let's face it) could be a sister or a daughter of any of us in the western world. Through the standard parental apathy that seems to permeate western culture, her questions are unanswered and ridiculed when all she wants is some answers. Then she falls in with some people who give her answers but probably not the right ones...
On a realistic point of view, my own experiences of hatred would make this film very realistic indeed even down to the "recruitment" of Sarah Polley's character and the fact that whether you're racist or not, violence permeates both sides.
Sarah Polley conveys a staggering range of emotion during the film, ranging from an insecure shy girl to a swaggering cocky young woman through the influence of her new "friends". Her "friends" gave her the support her school and family never did. Perhaps the most devestating part of the film is the televised debate between her and the anti nazi character. Watch it and see what you think.
The direction of Kari Skogland has an unusual aspect to it. It seems to be more experimental in it's use of camera technique to convey emotion. Kari uses unusual techniques which make this film difficult to watch at times but is well worth it if you persevere though.
Dennis Foon's writing is incredibly believable. The dialogue is exemplary in the fact that I could believe the lines the actors were given to say. Before you put that down to an individual actor/actress' performance, there is some dreadful acting in this film but the lines are still good. Credit must be given for a very believable story line which only had one slight flaw in my opinion where it came down to Sarah Polley's character trying to get a termination for her unwanted pregnancy. You'd think an intelligent if mislead girl like her would have taken precautions before sex. (I'm told that the canadian schooling system is excellent when it comes down to sex education but even an ignorant britisher like me knows what to do. This makes it all the more irritating.)
This film pulls it's punches and pulls them well. The starting titles with all the bodies hanging from the lamp posts on a city street (a la what happened to italian dictator Benito Mussolini) gives a good impression of how dark this is going to get and it does. The suicide scene is particularly memorable and shocking.
To sum up, I was impressed with this film. At times it is difficult to watch but then so was "American History X". The subject matter is not for everyone. My earlier comment of personal bias creeps in now. You will get out of it what your bias is. I found it to be an excellent example of what kind of things go on, but by that token I can imagine how some could use it to justify their ideals.
Certainly worth watching at least once.
No matter where you stand on the whole issue of hate between people of different religions, colours and creeds, you WILL read something different into this film depending on personal perspective.
I must point out it's very difficult to try and review a film without letting my own personal bias creep in. I will state for the record that i'm totally opposed to violence and that people who discriminate are fundamentally stupid NO MATTER what colour or creed or religion they are.
So here I am, the day after i've watched this film and i'm still thinking. This is good. What isn't good is the fact I found the films intentions slightly confused. For a start, the title is bound to provoke. Why? "White Lies" is a very sweeping statement to make when lies are all around us every day (and not just from white people either).
So we start out with a central character who (and let's face it) could be a sister or a daughter of any of us in the western world. Through the standard parental apathy that seems to permeate western culture, her questions are unanswered and ridiculed when all she wants is some answers. Then she falls in with some people who give her answers but probably not the right ones...
On a realistic point of view, my own experiences of hatred would make this film very realistic indeed even down to the "recruitment" of Sarah Polley's character and the fact that whether you're racist or not, violence permeates both sides.
Sarah Polley conveys a staggering range of emotion during the film, ranging from an insecure shy girl to a swaggering cocky young woman through the influence of her new "friends". Her "friends" gave her the support her school and family never did. Perhaps the most devestating part of the film is the televised debate between her and the anti nazi character. Watch it and see what you think.
The direction of Kari Skogland has an unusual aspect to it. It seems to be more experimental in it's use of camera technique to convey emotion. Kari uses unusual techniques which make this film difficult to watch at times but is well worth it if you persevere though.
Dennis Foon's writing is incredibly believable. The dialogue is exemplary in the fact that I could believe the lines the actors were given to say. Before you put that down to an individual actor/actress' performance, there is some dreadful acting in this film but the lines are still good. Credit must be given for a very believable story line which only had one slight flaw in my opinion where it came down to Sarah Polley's character trying to get a termination for her unwanted pregnancy. You'd think an intelligent if mislead girl like her would have taken precautions before sex. (I'm told that the canadian schooling system is excellent when it comes down to sex education but even an ignorant britisher like me knows what to do. This makes it all the more irritating.)
This film pulls it's punches and pulls them well. The starting titles with all the bodies hanging from the lamp posts on a city street (a la what happened to italian dictator Benito Mussolini) gives a good impression of how dark this is going to get and it does. The suicide scene is particularly memorable and shocking.
To sum up, I was impressed with this film. At times it is difficult to watch but then so was "American History X". The subject matter is not for everyone. My earlier comment of personal bias creeps in now. You will get out of it what your bias is. I found it to be an excellent example of what kind of things go on, but by that token I can imagine how some could use it to justify their ideals.
Certainly worth watching at least once.
