Separate Lies

Synopsis: Anne (Emily Watson) and James (Tom Wilkinson) enjoy a superficially perfect marriage, until Anne meets the carefree Bill Bule (Rupert Everett) and a stranger dies.

Separate Lies is an earnest reflection on surfaces and depths, love and betrayal, truth and lies. With three strong lead actors, the story moves intimately through a rollercoaster emotional arc; yet somehow fails to be more than the sum of its parts.

This is a pity, because most of its parts are good. The narrative is tight and contained, carefully establishing the apparently idyllic lives of Anne and James, before the death of a stranger in a hit-and-run throws suspicion on newcomer Bill. The careful direction and dialogue signposts the minor twists and turns, with the aid of an overwrought soundtrack. Yet the tension of witnessing ordinary lives tearing apart, or even vegetables being chopped in certain circumstances, still provides for compelling drama. Even more interesting is how lives can be rebuilt on a leap of faith or acceptance of love lost and regained.

Bill Bule is the alien presence in this paradisical vision of village life. In that sense, perhaps Rupert Everett is well-cast, with his oddly inhuman comic-book cragginess and shadowed features. Yet his personality appears too empty, raising the question of why Anne would persist in her friendship with him. Perhaps she is drawn to that emptiness as a reaction to the unrealistic expectations of her husband, who is a vessel overflowing - mostly with moral rectitude. In comparison to Bill, Anne and James are played with intense humanity by Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson.

There are elements that seem unnecessary (the narration), or vaguely stereotyped (James’ colleagues). It’s a pity too, to see these familiar tropes in work that’s clearly trying hard to be original (Fellowes, a well-known British television actor, was writer and associate producer on Gosford Park). There are better films about lies and imploding relationships, but Separate Lies still succeeds in a space of its own.

 

 

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