Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

White Lie

Play trailer 1:49 Poster for White Lie 2019 1h 36m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A university student who fakes a cancer diagnosis for the attention and financial gain struggles to maintain her secret.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

White Lie

Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Jeannette Catsoulis New York Times A movie that's too vague to capitalize on its jittery tone and too timid to fully wrestle with the monster at its core. Jan 5, 2021 Full Review Barry Hertz Globe and Mail Although completely unintentional in its conception and execution, White Lie is the perfect movie for our lockdown era, where self-interest and self-sacrifice blur into a heady stew of paranoid toxicity that can tear apart lovers, friends and families. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 21, 2020 Full Review Vikram Murthi RogerEbert.com Mostly succeeds because it abstains from reducing its protagonist to a simple psychology. Sep 16, 2019 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a methodically-paced drama that benefits substantially from Rohl's stirring turn as the unexpectedly sympathetic protagonist... Rated: 3/4 Jun 17, 2021 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse Creates a psychological push and pull between disgust and empathy. Rated: 4/5 Mar 4, 2021 Full Review Jordan Ruimy World of Reel A timely film about the public's willingness to endorse and support a cause without investigation Rated: B+ Jan 23, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
AlliJ925 I went into this movie knowing nothing and was pleasantly surprised. It was gripping and eye opening to the lengths we'd go to save face. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/02/23 Full Review Audience Member White Lie may play with the ideas of victim-shaming which may be triggering for some and hinder their enjoyment of the film. However, the film's main purpose is to question the idea of blind validation without looking more into whatever the case is. You can't judge someone without knowing all of the details and that's what this film does. It does not ask its audience to judge Katie and that's what makes it such an interesting character study. A must-see if you're interested in the psychology of human behaviors or if you just love a good story. Full analysis - https://backseatdirectors.com/2021/01/review-white-lie/ Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Great acting all around but this was a tough watch . It’s tough for me to see people take advantage of other people this badly but I get that was the point of the film 3.3 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/21 Full Review Audience Member A beautifully tragic and cautionary tale of how deep lies can cut those who support you the most. Well told, honestly acted and felt very real. 8/10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A flimsy web of lies. Meet Katie Arneson (Kacey Rohl). She's got the support of hundreds of people behind her as she works through chemotherapy. Not only that, but she is also managing to balance her school life, some extracurricular dance classes, and a relationship with her girlfriend (Amber Anderson). There's just one teensy problem here: she never actually had cancer. Now I had heard a positive review on this one that put this on my radar, and the premise only sold me more. It is that juicy type of scandal that makes for a fascinating story, and it's a taboo one that you don't see every day. Few things will upset people as much as learning that they have misplaced their pity or sympathy, so the stage is set for fireworks. White Lie may be a smaller movie, but I don't feel like I'm exaggerating when I call it one of the better films of the year. Now I know this movie isn't going to be for everyone, but I love a film that can make me feel so uncomfortable that I can barely stand to stay in my seat. I watched a good chunk of White Lie through my hands, and I could hardly stand it as I watched lie after lie compound on top of one another. It was almost to the point where I felt physically ill; I was that skeeved out by this behavior. None of the people in her life deserve deception like this. However, you know that there is more to this story that hasn't been revealed to you yet. You want to learn about this girl's past and what her truth is. Wanting to know this is imperative to what makes the story work. Because you want to know more about her, you root for her to squirm out of situations. She is quick on her feet, and if you give her a moment, she can always gather and regroup. It is a standout performance given by Kacey Rohl, and while she has done mostly television work thus far in her career, this role is one that will make you want to look out for her in the future. White Lie is worth going out of your way to check out, and I'm willing to bet that if you can get past the discomfort that this movie will cause, it will hook you very early on. It is a fascinating character study where you are both appalled and entranced by the protagonist's conduct, and that is a delicate tightrope to walk. This story did play on my anxiety in the best way possible, and it serves as a reminder that telling the truth is almost always easier. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
White Lie

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Cuban 74% 58% The Cuban Watchlist TRAILER for The Cuban Divines 84% 74% Divines Watchlist TRAILER for Divines Tucked 95% 61% Tucked Watchlist Princess of the Row 88% 93% Princess of the Row Watchlist TRAILER for Princess of the Row Sadie 78% 78% Sadie Watchlist TRAILER for Sadie Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A university student who fakes a cancer diagnosis for the attention and financial gain struggles to maintain her secret.
Director
Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas
Producer
Karen Harnisch, Yonah Lewis, Katie Bird Nolan
Production Co
Lisa Pictures, Babe Nation Films, Film Forge Studios
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 5, 2021
Runtime
1h 36m
Most Popular at Home Now