"True True Lie" is an entertaining flick that draws its suspense from hidden/suppressed secrets. There's not a lot of action in the linear unfolding of events (until the end), but instead there are a lot of unanswered questions which we are forced to solve piece-by-piece through flashbacks and bits of dialogue.
Don't be put off by the opening scene which, with its exaggerated melodrama and unbelievable events, sets the tone as if this is a campy production. As we soon learn, the opening scene is a dream/delusion. Therefore it's intended to be surreal. I'm pointing this out because I almost walked out, thinking the movie would be unbearably cheezy, but I'm glad I stuck around.
What follows is an interesting unfolding of events, interspersed with more visions, that lead us to the logical conclusion of the film.
What really caught my attention was the way the film uses various literary allusions, from Poe's "Tell Tale Heart" to Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" to Gide's "Crime without a Motive" and possibly more I missed. This film is like an homage to classic murder stories wrapped up in a tight bundle.
Another thing I found unique was the feminine perspective to a murder story. Sure we've had movies like "Basic Instinct" which highlight the female point of view, but those movies strike me more of a man's idea of a woman's perspective. Here we get a truly "chick flick" murder mystery. That might account for why IMDb users rate this film higher amongst women than men (except for the under 18 demographic, but hey what teenage male wouldn't be happy to see Jaime King's sexual ooziness in every scene?).
My criticism is that this movie feels more like a short film than a feature presentation. I guess that's because it moves so quickly and doesn't really spend much time fleshing out individual characters. In the second half we do get more characterization, and I really enjoyed the intense final scene. But I wouldn't have minded if the movie was at least 30mins longer.
