Where the Truth Lies (2005)

Director:

Atom Egoyan

Writers:

Atom Egoyan (screenplay)
Rupert Holmes (novel)

Release Date:

7 October 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

K. O'Connor, a young journalist known for her celebrity profiles, is consumed with discovering the truth behind a long-buried incident that affected the lives and careers of showbiz team Vince Collins and Lanny Morris.

Plot Keywords:

Comedy Team | Hotel Room | Duo | Anal Sex | Mansion

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Kevin Bacon	...	Lanny
Colin Firth	...	Vince
Alison Lohman	...	Karen
David Hayman	...	Reuben
Rachel Blanchard	...	Maureen
Maury Chaykin	...	Sally Sanmarco
Sonja Bennett	...	Bonnie
Kristin Adams	...	Alice
Deborah Grover	...	Mrs. O'Flaherty
Beau Starr	...	Jack Scaglia
Arsinée Khanjian	...	Publishing Executive
Gabrielle Rose	...	Publishing Executive
Don McKellar	...	Publishing Executive
David Hemblen	...	NY Hotel Concierge
John Moraitis	...	Irv Fleischman

Also Known As:

Somebody Loves You (Canada: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, drug use and language. (DVD version)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:Open (rating surrendered) (2005) | Australia:R | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba) (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba) (original rating) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R (DVD version) | Portugal:M/16 | Hong Kong:III | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Japan:R-18 | Hungary:16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Serendipity Point Films

Trivia:

Director Atom Egoyan made cuts to the film, including an orgy scene, in a failed attempt to challenge the NC-17 rating given by the MPAA. ThinkFilm has since announced that the version shown in US theaters is the same as the one shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The telethon takes place in 1957. The boys sing the song "Together (Wherever We Go)" from Gypsy. But Gypsy didn't open on Broadway until 1959. And the songs weren't public knowledge until then.

Quotes:

Lanny Morris: Having to be a nice guy is the toughest job in the world when you're not.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Spinning Wheel

Sex, Drugs, (not so much Rock & Roll) and a Mystery....

Another great work by Atom Egoyan, based on the novel by Rupert Holmes.

Knowing a little about the plot before seeing the film my big question/concern was "Kevin Bacon"? Going in I just didn't see Bacon in such a roll. But it didn't take long before Egoyan's primary cast selection (including Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, and Alison Lohman) was clearly calculated and well thought.

Some might call this Egoyan's 'most mainstream' work to date, but it retains many of the qualities we've come to expect from him. The screenplay was precisely developed to provide a great pace to the story, and to provide little 'bits and pieces' of key information just when you need them. It doesn't give the truth away too early, yet when the secret is finally revealed it's accompanied by a sense of "I should have seen that coming".

This film does deal with some 'touchy' cinematic subjects including sex and drug use. What should be truly disturbing is the murder in question, but 'simple' murder is accepted in film without a second thought.

The screening I saw was the 'uncut' version of the film. There has apparently been some controversy surrounding some of the films content, so I don't know whether this is the version the movie-going public will eventually see in mass-market theatres. It contained some pretty graphic sex, but it wasn't gratuitous - it served a purpose in the development of the characters and story. These scenes, while clearly not suitable for a younger audience, belong in this film.

An excellent film, as most have come to expect from Egoyan.