The Lie – Review [Prime Video] (3/5)

THE LIE is out on Amazon Prime Video. The horror-mystery is part of the ‘Welcome to the Blumhouse’ Halloween addition consisting of four new genre movies. This one is full of bad choices and is bound to drive people a little crazy. Read our full The Lie review here!

THE LIE is out on Amazon Prime Video now and will definitely be talked about. It’s one of four new Blumhouse genre movies coming to Amazon Prime Video in October 2020 as part of a Halloween treat. One other movie from this selection was also released today and has the title Black Box. That one fits more into the sci-fi horror genre, while this story is a crime-mystery.

You might like: Our review of Black Box which is also out on Amazon Prime Video >

Continue reading our The Lie movie review below and find it on Amazon Prime Video now.

The kid is not alright

There is no doubt in my mind that The Lie will end up driving many viewers crazy. So many bad choices are made, but they are made in the spur of the moments. Also, they’re the kind of choices that cannot be unmade or changed, and these dumb choices along the way force other people to join in on the lie.

At the heart of this story is Kayla, who is played wonderfully by Joey King (Wish Upon). And by “wonderfully”, I do mean that her acting is wonderful and not the character. The actual character has a lot of flaws and acts both as a spoiled brat and a teenager on the brink of becoming an adult. Joey King just manages to always keep us a little on edge as to what this kid is all about.

Her parents are portrayed by Mireille Enos (The Killing, World War Z) and Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey). Both do excellent jobs of breathing life into their characters. The mom (Mireille Enos) is definitely the smartest in the bunch and is forced into doing extreme damage control. Dad (Peter Sarsgaard) tends to make things worse rather quickly, but he is certainly trying to help.

The ending of The Lie on Amazon Prime Video

I actually loved the ending of The Lie but I definitely recognize that it’s bound to drive some people up the wall. A lot is turned upside down in those final moments and it hit me exactly as it should.

Of course, I also got annoyed with aspects of it, but mostly, I got angry at the characters and their reaction. Something I can only guess is exactly what was intended. When The Lie ending unfolds in all it’s plot-twisting glory, you might get angry.

Part of that might be thinking “That’s just too simple” or “WTF, I knew it!”.

Either reaction seems pretty perfect to me. I found myself going through both of these emotions, but I also recognize that the way this story was told is meant to create exactly these reactions. So, I hope you’ll enjoy the ending of The Lie and just let it soak in before dismissing it as too simple or obvious. It was certainly good for me to just let it marinate for a hot minute.

Watch The Lie on Amazon Prime Video now

Veena Sud directed The Lie which is based on the German movie Wir Monster from 2015. The screenplay for that movie was written by Marcus Seibert and Sebastian Ko with the latter also directing it. The screenplay for The Lie was written by Veena Sud based on the screenplay of the German original.

Previously, Veena Sud also successfully created a remake of the Danish series Forbrydelsen (2007) which became The Killing. Obviously, this is an excellent proof that Veena Sud is the perfect writer-director to create a US version of stories that have already proven their worth. I have not watched Wir Monster but The Lie certainly makes me want to check it out.

The Lie originally premiered at Toronto International Film Festival back in September 2018, so it’s been a long time coming. The title back then was Between Earth and Sky which is still the official title on IMDb as of writing this review.

The Lie is out on Amazon Prime Video worldwide from October 6, 2020.

Details

Director: Veena Sud
Writers: Veena Sud, Sebastian Ko, Marcus Seibert
Stars: Joey King, Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard, Cas Anvar, Dani Kind, Devery Jacobs, Patti Kim, Nicholas Lea