Where the Truth Lies (2005)

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I return to my dear Atom Egoyan again , after a long time. I can't believe that he was able to make all those wonderful movies with a great themes, great actors and great soundtracks. This film is very good, keep your attention for 100%.

It's 1972 L.A. Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman) is writing about entertainment duo Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth). She tries to get to the truth of what happened 15 years ago. Lanny and Vince were performing a 39 hour telethon in Miami and Karen had a central part as a child. The womanizing Lanny had a night with the hotel maid Maureen O'Flaherty (Rachel Blanchard) before the telethon. Afterwards, the boys go to a New Jersey hotel where Maureen is found dead in their room. The death was quickly covered up and ruled a suicide.Director Atom Egoyan brings a labyrinthian style to the material. It can be a bit clearer about certain parts. It works better with a second viewing. The main deficiency is Lohman. She is much too childlike as an actress. It works for her for certain roles and in this case, she is asked to play herself as a child. I would rather have Vera Farmiga and her sister Taissa can play the younger version. In the end, the child version isn't a big enough role to truly influence the selection for Karen. The Bacon Firth combo is an intriguing one. That's the level that Lohman has to hit but just misses. Egoyan could have helped with a clearer structure to the story. This is still worth a second look if only for the hidden tension between Bacon and Firth.

That was truly awful.There was so much wrong with this movie that I just don't know where to begin. The plot is totally predictable and as far away from being believable it can get. Watching Alison Lohman in this movie was painful - the way she looks and speaks, you just can't make yourself believe that anyone of the other characters should take her character seriously. I just kept wondering why Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon agreed to take part in this nightmare. And then again, why of why was Alison Lohman picked to play this role?!? As awful as she is, she shouldn't get the whole credit for ruining this effort. The whole story is something like an unhealthy mix of Miss Marple stories and a bit of drugs, alcohol and soft-porn action, full of clichés and easy answers.

Oh, what a difference bad casting decision can make. " Where the truth lies" had such a great potential. Two very strong leading actors, Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth, intriguing story, creative director, but... The catastrophic acting of Alison Lohman sabotaged the whole thing. The utter lack of artistic presence, wobbly, girlish voice, completely at odds with the part. There are thousands of talented young actresses, and why in the world would you cast her. There was no saving this movie after that bad decision. Two leading protagonists were doing their very best, lovely camera work brought us back to the times long gone. But to no avail.What a shame.