Lie With Me 2005 Film Starring Lauren Lee Smith
A Chance Encounter Sends Relationship Phobic Leila Towards Love
Oct 22, 2009
Lie With Me is a 2005 film classified as a Romance Drama. It stars Lauren Lee Smith and Eric Balfour. It was directed by Clément Virgo and is based on the novel of the same name. It has a number of graphic sex scenes and suggests that for some people, sex is like a drug addiction.
Lie With Me’s Plot and Characters
Leila (Smith) is a beautiful woman who enjoys sex and she doesn’t especially care whom she is having it with as long as her own desires are satisfied. She also thinks nothing of having sex wherever and whenever she feels like it.
At a club, she has a chance encounter with a man named David (Balfour). Later, whilst having sex with different people outside the party they can't take their eyes off each other. Pretty soon they begin an affair with David leaving his girlfriend to be with Leila, and for a time, both are satisfied. But David is not interested in just sex, he wants a relationship, and Leila realises that she is feeling an attachment to him that she has never felt with anyone before.
As the film progresses the audience learns more about both characters and that the reason for Leila’s carefree attitude to sex is rooted in her own fears of rejection. The lovers become entangled in their emotions and their fears threaten to rip them apart.
Not Just Meaningless Sex
Lie With Me has a very high sexual content with very graphic scenes. Lauren Lee Smith is beautiful with an equally beautiful body, and obviously has no problem with showing it off. However, none of the sex scenes in the film are pointless. There are those who are going to be attracted to Lie With Me simply because Smith takes her clothes off a lot but the film is actually making a point about the young generation.
For Leila it seems that sex is like a drug addiction, she enjoys having sex, but bedding stranger after stranger ultimately leaves her feeling disgusted with herself. She has an opportunity for a genuine sexual and emotional connection with someone, but is so afraid that if she opens herself up to David she’ll be rejected that she almost destroys the blossoming relationship. Director Clément Virgo doesn’t seem to be trying to say that people should only have sex if they are in love, instead the purpose of the film is that whilst casual sex is fine for the short term, in the end it is the emotional connection that everyone really craves.
Lie With Me is a similar story to Cruel Intentions and swaps the womanising man for a sexually voracious young woman. Lie With Me is concerned with illustrating to a young generation that meaningless sex is ultimately that - meaningless. Leila seems to be happy with her carefree lifestyle. But the audience sees that she is the way she is because her parents are divorcing and she believes that a relationship which may seem strong will always end badly.
In the current climate, young men and women seem to be bedding one another all over the place. Notches on the bed post may seem like a good idea but Lie With Me tries to convey the message that if people aren’t prepared to risk getting hurt then they will wind up being alone.
The high sex content might put some people off watching the film (and might encourage others) fortunately, Lie With Me’s sex scenes are relevant and are not just there for the sake of it.
7/10
Lie With Me is not just a sex film. It carries an interesting message, and features fine performances from both Smith and Balfour.
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