“Lies” has generated an understandable scandal in its native South Korea, and is based on a novel that got its author, Jang Jung Il, imprisoned on pornography charges in 1996. Despite its explicit sexual content, there is nothing pornographic about this film. Filmed in a documentary-like style–to the extent that the actors occasionally break out of their roles to talk about how they are feeling about a certain scene–“Lies” is never titillating or exploitative. It is not even really about sex, but about the ways in which the balance of power shifts in the central relationship as Y moves from innocence to experience.
As played by model and first-time actress Kim Tae Yeon, Y is a remarkable creation, half giggly girlishness, half steely strength. Even when she is being whipped she seems to hold the reins of the relationship in her slim hands, enduring the indignity and pain with resilience and even enthusiasm. The film charts her progression from innocence to experience as Y becomes the more dominant partner, and eventually moves beyond what J can offer her.
It is not a tale for the faint-hearted: the whipping scenes are deeply disturbing (although the way they become almost routine by the end of the film is the most disturbing thing of all), and there is even a little coprophilia thrown in for good measure. But if you can stomach it, watching Y progress through her bizarre sexual and emotional journey makes “Lies” a film worth seeing.
