...No Lies (1973) User Reviews

getting to the truth

[mjneu59 · 8/10 · 20 December 2010]

In this uncomfortable 16-minute short film a casual chat with a woman preparing for a night on the town gradually turns into a confrontational interview when the subject begins describing the rape she suffered recently. There's a growing feeling of unease as the questions probe deeper into the traumatic details, and the unblinking eye of the camera only makes the encounter more frightening. But is the film an actual, spontaneous documentary or a Cassavetes-like improvisation? Viewers will be kept guessing until the very end, when the final credits reveal the hidden irony of the title, showing just how easily and convincingly the truth can be faked.

A powerful short film

[cwillis_m · 8/10 · 18 November 2003]

I saw "No Lies..." recently in a film class I'm taking. It is a very powerful film. I won't give any spoilers, since part of what makes this film good is getting to see it without knowing anything about it. It hits the viewer in a very unexpected way. 8/10

Gripping Nixon-Era Short Drama

[Screen_O_Genic · 9/10 · 14 July 2020]

Fixating and memorable, "...No Lies" unflinchingly depicts human nature when faced with reality and the truth. A man films his girlfriend as she prepares for a night out. Small talk eventually leads to a heated and unsettling argument as the woman relates a harrowing experience she recently underwent. Whether a portrayal of mental illness or a pointed criticism of the "New Woman" or feminism of the time this documentary-like slice of reality will keep one on edge for most of its running time. This is what short films are made for.

Shockingly Real, captivating...Genuinely scary.

[patrickk-1 · 13 March 2002]

I was able to see Mitchell Block's short film "NO LIES" in my Media Arts class that I took at Temple University. It is a short piece of film (about 15 or 20 minutes in length), which first appears to simply be a goofy college student playfully filming and interviewing his girlfriend as she gets ready to go out to see a play one night. There is no manipulation of the light in the room, the camera is very shaky, and both parties giggle at everything that is mentioned. Many references to the camera being on are also made, which even further demonstrates to the audience that it is a real situation.

What proceeds is in my opinion, one of the greatest tricks ever pulled off in the film industry. As the questions asked to the giggling girl get more personal, she eventually begins to tell the provoking interviewee the frightening details of how she was raped outside of her NYU apartment one night. The laughs eventually turn to soft sobs, and then yells as the cameraman makes her realize what has been done to her. In tears, she finally tells the man that she's leaving, and walks out of the apartment, closing the door behind her, into the now ever-dangerous midnight streets of the city. At this point, I expected the film to simply end, however, after the door closes, credits pop-up on the screen! The audience is set to realize that it was all an act.

Mitchell Block, a film student at NYU at the time, didn't really go onto bigger and better things, but this short experimental shot at direct cinema has certainly immortalized him as a film god in my mind. It is, and will remain one of the most original pieces of film that I will ever see.