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White Lie is a decent drama that sees a university student named Katie, fake her cancer diagnosis for attention and financial gain. But when her father reveals the truth online, Katie soon finds herself struggling to maintain her White Lie.
One thing I enjoyed about this movie is how it sets morality aside and gives us an unfiltered look at how Katie defrauds her friends and loved ones.
When we first meet our young antagonist, it’s obvious her deception has been going on for some time, and for the first 20 minutes of the film, we follow Katie on her routine of shaving her head to keep up appearances and collects cash from donors to buy fake prescription drugs.
Casting Kacey Rohl as Katie was a perfect idea, as she gave the character an innocent face to hide her true nature behind. But asides from her appearance, what helps Katie sustain her lie, is her ability to capitalize on people’s sympathy. And throughout the film, we see Katie use this skill to deceive people into giving her more money.
Not even her girlfriend, Jennifer (Amber Anderson), is exempt from this dying girl act. And at various points, Katie uses her to fund and promote most of her schemes.
Casting Kacey Rohl as Katie was a perfect idea, as she gave the character an innocent face to hide her true nature behind. But asides from her appearance, what helps Katie sustain her Lie, is her ability to capitalize on people’s sympathy. And throughout the film, we see Katie use this skill to deceive people into giving her money.
Not even her girlfriend, Jennifer (Amber Anderson), is exempt from this dying girl act. And at various points, Katie uses her to fund and promote most of her schemes.
However, as clever as Katie is, she’s also short-sighted and Naive, and it’s not long before holes within her plans pop up. The first sign of trouble comes when Katie has to bribe a reluctant doctor to forge her medical records for a scholarship. But things only worsen when her father reveals her secret on Facebook, and people start asking questions.
With her faux world crumbling around her, Katie resorts to desperate moves to sway public opinion. She hires a shady doctor to give her more convincing cancer symptoms. And at a point, she even considers suing her father over his post.
This desperate need for attention is one of the major themes of White Lie, and the movie uses Katie’s story to show how some terminally ill scammers are more interested in clout than just the money alone. But after building a compelling story, White Lie then fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion to its core plot.
Rather than clarify Katie’s fate, the movie instead ends with Jennifer leaving Katie after she sees through her lies. But while their relationship was an important aspect of the movie, it was not the main story.
White Lie’s main theme was always Katie’s cancer scam, and I expected the movie to end with Katie either getting away with her plot or suffering the consequences. But by leaving her fate ambiguous, the film missed an opportunity to give its story a proper conclusion.
Verdict
White Lie
Movie title: White Lie
Review
While slow, White Lie dives into the ugly world of terminal illness scammers, and through Katie’s story, the movie brilliantly shows the motivations and methods of such people. However, despite its amazing story, in the end, the film fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion.
Overall
3.5User Review
( votes)Pros
- Good Story
- Good Acting
Cons
- Slow Burn Movie
- Unsatisfying Ending
The movie was actually great!! I just can’t believe how far anyone would go,just to get attention,clout,and money. You just don’t joke about Cancer in that way. The ending could’ve ended differently then what it did.
I was in the mood to watch a drama tonight, a rarity for me as I find dramas to be boring.
This one looked interesting and more “nail biting” than most dramas, so I said screw it and put it on.
The movie *was* great. Was. Until the ending. It’s like the writers just…..left before writing the end of the movie. It is a very abrupt ending with no resolution whatsoever in any direction. The viewer is left with far too many questions.
What happens to Katie?
Does the radio show help or hinder her?
What happens with her dad?
Her friends?
Jen?
Her school?
It is sad because the movie could have been SO good! Instead it ended with a cliffhanger, but not one that actually leaves viewers guessing. Well, other than guessing “wait…that’s it?” When the credits start rolling.
A movie is not a good movie if it has no conclusion. One minute she is on a podcast, her girlfriend gets up… and then BAM credits roll.