A shockingly honest exploration of sexuality delivered by a team of Canadian actors that is likely to put to shame Catherine Breillat (Romance) and her periodic forays into the world of explicit erotica Lie With Me (2005) is indeed quite a surprise. With Eric Balfour (Six Feet Under) and Lauren Lee Smith (Christy) in the middle of all the steamy action this recent Canuck project asks its viewers to forget their moral prejudices and step into a world where explicit sex is king!

Building his story around a young girl with an impressive self-confidence and a sexual appetite that absorbs anyone who crosses her path director Clement Vigo (Love Come Down) has created a film where sex is as revealing as one is likely to see it in mainstream cinema. In fact, I am not quite so certain Lie With Me fits in such a categorization. Quite frankly, if you thought that Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs was too explicit for your taste then you should most certainly look elsewhere for your daily dose of "mainstream" entertainment as you are likely to find Lie With Me too offensive.

So what is this film all about? After the furor of rave reviews in its native Canada, claiming that this was the best and perhaps one of the more honest works to deal with love, sex, and the social clichés that intertwine them, I am a bit undecided what the true message behind Lie With Me is. Put aside all of the explicit sex and the obsessive calls that Clement Virgo's work is a "juggernaut of taboo-smashing" and it seems to me that this film wants to be an honest portrait of a woman who continuously struggles to identify her own feelings. Is it sex, is it love, or perhaps both that forces her back in the hands of an equally confused man? No one knows…at least not until the end of Lie With Me.

Based on the novel by Tamara Faith Berger Lie With Me will probably be remembered for its unconventionally bold depiction of female sexuality. The film opens with a quick introduction where we see Leila masturbating while watching a TV show. Shortly after, we see her in a night club initiating contact with a guy who, as we find out later on, does not mind being provoked. From that point on until the final scene of Lie With Me what follows up is a seductive mélange of full frontal nudity, unbridled sex, and plenty of fancy monologs meant to elevate this film in the eyes of those of us who might be willing to endure its fruitlessness.

Aside from the utterly pretentious script this film is graced with it also seems to me that the story lacks substantially when one considers the manner in which the main characters are filmed. The strongest asset of Lie With Me, the "natural" depiction of "lovemaking", de facto appears as the film's greatest burden. Why? The sex in this film is so overpowering that it hardly leaves a chance for anything else to be said by Clement Virgo and Co. Furthermore, the story visibly drags and at times simply comes to a complete stop. As a result Leila is often seen and heard amidst scattered, making little sense, monologs questioning the meaning of "true love". After all, there is hardly anything new Lie With Me tells us that other films have not in a better and much more convincing fashion.

There are probably a thousand reasons why one would want to see Lie With Me! Surely there are probably a thousand reasons why one would want to skip it as well. To be honest with you I found more reasons to recommend that you skip it and look elsewhere for films that tackle the intricate subject of female sexuality. As to the claims that the acting in Lie With Me is "real" and therefore deserves to be seen…I am rather convinced in the opposite.

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's Lie With Me has been granted a solid transfer by ThinkFilm that will certainly satisfy the more pretentious of cinephilles. Colors appear strong, contrast rather well-handled, and the actual print reveals no damages that I was able to spot. Occasionally the film exhibits some soft areas but I am most certain that is how it was shot. During the night club scene I noticed a fairly good amount of grain which also appears to be part of the film stock. Indeed, this is a very decent presentation that leaves very little for me to be unhappy with.

How Does the DVD Sound?

ThinkFilm have provided two different options for this film. There is basic 2.0 English track and a more elaborate 5.1 mix. They both sound well but the 5.1 mix clearly has en edge here. During the monologs which this film is built around there is a noticeable difference between the two tracks. I felt much more comfortable following Leila's voice with the 5.1 mix while a few times during the 2.0 track I was unable to make up Leila's speech. With all of this said, there are no audio drop outs that I was able to spot or any additional audio problems to report. Last but not least there are no subtitles provided for this DVD release.

Extras:

An interesting commentary with the director of the film Clement Virgo and Lauren Lee Smith has been provided for this release where the two attempt to deconstruct Lie With Me with a good dose of humor. Indeed, such humor is a great idea as the discussion between the two touches upon some of the more revealing scenes from the film by providing plenty of laughs. On a more serious note I sense that Clement Virgo is quite well-versed when it comes to classic cinema (he refers to Steve McQueen and Humphrey Bogart with great success) and he does appear to have been influenced by the works of some great directors. Unfortunately Lauren Lee Smith's contribution to this commentary is rather disappointing and despite the director's numerous attempts to provoke a more constructive discussion he is soon left improvising in the cold. In addition to the commentary what ThinkFilm have provided for this DVD release is the original theatrical trailer for Lie With Me and a small photo gallery.

Final Words:

While the explicit nature of this film might be a good enough reason for many to see it both the acting and the story left me bitterly disappointed. I hardly connected with the main characters and the story often felt almost impossible to endure. I applaud ThinkFilm in their search for provocative cinema and more importantly for providing this controversial film to audiences in the United States. RENT IT!