What would it be like to be in a world where everyone told the truth? That was the basis, I thought, for the movie "The Invention of Lying." It begins with the protagonist working at a boring job in televsion which he might lose because of little interest by the viewers. In another scene he goes on a date where the woman is brutally honest about his unattractive appearance and her concern about finding a "good" genetic match.
It is quite interesting to see all the characters not only telling the truth, but blurting out their honest thoughts, be they complimentary or degrading. There is a sense of little hope in the movie even when the main character's mother is dying.
The "first" lie, about how much money is in his bank account, is accepted as a truth and the protagonist is astounded that he is not caught speaking a falsehood, even when there is evidence he is lying. No one expects or even is aware that lies can be said. They all assume that what is said is the truth.
The major conflict that arises is when the dying mother is told a "lie" about the place she will go after death. This place is a better place than where she has in life. This is overheard and causes a great commotion throughout the countryside, leading to additional "lies" which cause the hero to "make up" a story of how he knows this new information.
The "great" lie,under lying the movie, is what we call in our society "religion." We find out that the story is not only questioning the veracity of religion, but showing it is a false hope. I was disappointed in this turn of the plot. The movie fails to address the question, "if Christianity, or any religion, is not true then where does truth come from and what is the reason to tell the truth?"
This movie does illustrate the problem that lies can cause, but it fails to consider there is more to life than what we see in front of us. It does suggest that kindness and concern about someone other than ourselves is better than our own selfish desires. But it fails to explain what is the basis of and how do you decide if something is good or bad.
This is a creative and humorous, for the most part, movie, but it certainly needs to be seen with a critical mind. Perhaps truth telling is the best policy, but it does need to be done with discretion.
I am thankful there is a God and we have a foundation of God's word to us found in the Bible. May we pay attention to it and remember truth is not a commondity that can always be nailed down, but it is a characteristic of our creator. It's presence is because of God, not apart from God.
Seeking to express truth in love,
Pastor Randy
