Thank you to Alcon Entertainment for sending us this film to review!
I knew nothing about this film when I sat down to watch it, other than the title, which intrigued me. Telling a lie is rarely a good thing. Depending on the circumstances a single lie can contain the power to completely destroy your life, not to mention collateral damage caused to others. Other lies, commonly referred to as "white lies" are generally considered unharmful, focusing on keeping social interactions civil or inoffensive. "Does this dress make my bum look too big?" {Slight pause - often without even looking at said dress or it's effect on one's spouse's bum} "NO! Of COURSE not! You look great!" The repercussions of a "white lie" may be minor (like having an annoyed spouse for an evening), but that does not mean telling one is "good."
So what kind of lie is a good one? The film answers this question brilliantly: The kind that saves other people's lives at the risk of your own. A couple of biblical references to this come to mind immediately. The most notable is in Exodus Chapter 1 where Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt sees his slave population growing more numerous than his ability to effectively control. His solution: infanticide. All baby boys of the Hebrews are sentenced to death by exposure. Well, the midwives (ladies who are in charge of overseeing births, like Lamaze coaches and nurses combined) take issue with Pharaoh's solution. But what's a powerless midwife to do when faced with the choice between disobeying the ruler, who will execute you for disobedience as callously as he kills babies, and doing what they know to be the righteous thing? You lie. The midwives tell Pharaoh that the Hebrew ladies are so tough that they pop those baby boys out before they even get there.
Woman, "Honey, my water just broke!"
Man, "What do I do?"
