Little White Lies

Little White Lies

What an appropriate name. For over 2 ½ hours the audience is exposed to a group of friends that harbor secrets and tell lies both to themselves and each other. The film was too long but I was interested until the end and was never sure how it would conclude.

We first meet the group of Parisians friends as they are partying. The evening ends when Lido is in a very serious motorcycle accident. The group of friends gathers to weep at his bedside. Some are couples. A few are single. They have been friends for years and really care for each other.

Ludo lies in serious condition in the hospital. The friends have traditionally spent a few weeks in the summer together. Max seems to be the leader of the group. They all assemble at his country home and have a wonderful time together boating, surfing, drinking and dining. Should they go this year and leave Ludo behind? They speculate that he won’t know the difference and will probably be better when they return.

The group sets out on their annual summer vacation.

During the two weeks we get to know them as couples and individuals. Two of the men are having problems with their girlfriends. When one of the ‘guys’ tells Max something very personal he is unable to deal well with the information.

The women are all very attractive. The life style is almost enviable. They party on a very luxurious launch. They dine outdoors at a long table. They drink and party. Yet there are troubles.

Maria played so aptly by Marion Cotillard is a central character. She had been Lido’s girlfriend. They all care very much for her. (And why not). She is so attractive and charming. One of the men is attracted to her and when his former girlfriend is no longer interested he pursues Marie. Marie is not the faithful type.

They do genuinely like one another but I was horrified in one scene. The men were in the power boat pulling Marie in a raft. The boat was going very quickly and she was yelling out to go slower. She flips in the water and they all laugh hilariously. Everybody loves one another but their selfish mach nature won out on that round.

They were friendly with a neighbor in the area. He summed it up so well when he stated, “You have spent two weeks lying to each other. You also lie to yourselves…. You buy into each others lies.”

During one of their discussions someone mentioned that animals have an intuition for natural disasters. It was stated that humans don’t listen to their intuitions. That last statement sums up the theme of the film.

Interpersonal relationships are always interesting. In some ways this was like a merry go round. That was a lot of people spending 2 weeks together at a cottage. I openly admit I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. It was not surprising that there were incidents, flare ups and confessions made. The psychology of the group dynamics was very interesting.

I do recommend a box of Kleenex for the final moments.