Little White Lies

Guillaume Canet’s follow-up to Tell No One is a change of pace, from intense thriller to ensemble comedy-drama, but it's no less compelling. Starring François Cluzet and Marion Cotillard, the film concerns a group of thirtysomethings as they holiday at wealthy friend Max’s (Cluzet) beach house. All the while, one of their number lies in a critical condition in a Parisian hospital, having been involved in a brutal traffic accident at the film’s opening. Inevitably tensions between the friends escalate and they struggle to keep the titular fibs and secrets that exist between them unexposed.

In a style reminiscent of Woody Allen, Canet balances the characters’ fraught relationships with the script’s lighter comedy, keeping the audience invested in a group who many may relate to but whose lifestyle is seemingly fantastical. Regardless of how odious their actions may seem, the characters are well defined and their faults entirely human. As a result it is no strain to spend the film's 154 minute runtime in their company.