The tale of Adam (Lee Neville), Julie (Jane Hogan) and Anna (Danielle Little) continues in part two of writer/director Lee Neville’s Three Times Moving short film trilogy, A Time to Lie. Still conflicted, Adam has chosen to seek the comfort of physical intimacy with Anna, despite his lack of romantic feelings for her. This provokes more drama, especially when Anna, very much aware of and okay with the lack of romance in her “relationship” with Adam, pushes Julie to be honest about her feelings.
What sets this film apart from the previous film in the trilogy is that it turns its focus on understanding Anna and Julie’s perspectives more so than just delivering us more of Adam’s not-so-cheery disposition. Which is not to say that the film is free of his gloom, but it’s refreshing to give more life to Anna and Julie’s characters. It offers some hope for the third part of the trilogy not just being more of the same without any real payoff.
Production-wise, the competent quality of the first film in the trilogy, The Kiss Through Time, continues here. The composition isn’t the most interesting, and the location is still primarily Adam’s apartment, but in general the film works. No awards will be forthcoming for the technical side of things, but they get the job done. The tone is still too melodramatic and daytime soap opera for my tastes, but least someone smiles in this one, which is a step in the right direction.
Simply, A Time to Lie is a suitable middle entry into this series. It doesn’t quite raise the stakes, but it fleshes out the characters a bit more and gives the impression of a narrative moving forward. The central conflict evolves somewhat, and the resolution is set up. Whether or not this tale requires three short films to tell will be open to debate once all three films are experienced, but I already get the feeling that, despite the slight momentum in this piece, that it is a tale stretched too thin. Then again, if we just call it a web series instead of a short film trilogy, it makes it all seem more acceptable somehow.
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