White Lies

It's very usual to get involved in any kind of movements attracted by friends, money or anything else. Specially in our youth period of life, this things are very common. I am young so I know how this things are. That's why I understood this movie in my reality. & I liked it. Not because I am a neo nazi or something like that, but I felt it very close about young movements & stuff. The movie was pretty good. I didn't realized it was a Canadian production, so I guess this is my first Canadian movie saw. & the impression was such cool. But there are a few things I can't get in this movie. Is the old lady of NIM senile or maybe crazy? Celebrating Christmas in a Nazi way? Come on...

I give this a 6, only because the movie is worth watching as entertainment (5 points) and an extra point because it is BASED on actual events and people in the neo nazi and far-right movement in Canada.

I don't really understand the other viewer thought American History X is so much more realistic or powerful; in my opinion it is not. It only has better acting and more violence.

The acting is not horrible in "White Lies", but about what you would expect from a made for TV Canadian film.

The organization "NIM" can be roughly compared to the real life group "Heritage Front" and events that happened mostly in Toronto in the early 1990s.

The anti-racists are not well represented in the film, which is usual for any neo nazi film, and the neo Nazis are portrayed as supermen who always win fights, or else it takes ten or twenty of their enemies to beat them.

Everything from the young women defecting in the end, arson, fights after concerts and suicide is based on actual events that happened in Ontario, Canada.

I won't get in to more details as to not spoil it, but this movie is a must see for anyone interested in anti-racist studies and the cultural impact of actual far-right movements in North America.

Sarah is an intelligent middle class girl neglected by her parents. In the extreme right wing group NIM she finds the warmth and friendship she's been looking for. Slowly she's drawn into a pool of violence and racism. It takes a dramatic event for her to realize what mess she's in. If this all sounds extremely standard, that's because it is. Combined with an experimental style that makes the film look like a medium budget video clip, this is not something to stay at home for. It's not bad though: the acting is good and except for its total lack of originality the script is well written. So if nothing else is on, and your local cinema is only showing some brain dead action flick, you might want to give it a chance.

Have watched this several times on cable, had never heard of it and was pleasantly surprised. Sarah Polley is a very good and appealing actor and her character in this movie is fascinating. The movie is shocking at first by attacking the closed mindedness of the liberal orthodoxy of thought at universities today and the oppurtunists that use charges of racism to squelch dissent. Catherine Chapman thinks and says many things early in the movie that many people think secretly but are afraid to say for being branded, this is highly unusual for any film these days to face reality head on like this.

Unfortunately, this courage dwindles at the end and the producers of the movie play to the grandstand like all mainstream movies do and create cartoonish, reprehensible, easy to hate skinhead nazis as bad guys and Catherine repents. How disappointing, I wish the movie had continued to explore the gray areas of racial politics, where what is 'right' is not so clear as when nazis are involved, but rather there are intelligent people who have a legitimate argument against an entrenched political correctness and have a right to be heard without fear of being treated like pariahs by the establishment.

I loved this movie because it shows how easy it is for a person, anyone-even me, can get caught up in something without realizing it. I saw it (the first time) by accident, it just came on the channel I was watching and I got "sucked in". But since then, I've watched it several times and each time, it's like I can't change the channel, it is that engrossing. Well, that's all I wanted to say. This movie is awesome!!!!!!!