My latest film Charade is based on themes and incorporates
manipulated footage from the original 1963 film with Cary Grant and Audry
Hepburn. Normally when I make a film I don’t publicly talk about the research
that goes into it’s creation. But this time I’m experimenting sharing my thought processes. My goal
in this film was to explore the themes of identity and deception. Here’s part
of my original proposal:
I’m interested in the core
themes of the original film, identity and deception. The film is full of people
who are not who they say they are, including the actors themselves. I’ve heard
many stories of people who have changed their names, lied about their past and
created new identities. The reasons for this kind of deception intrigues me and
is why I want to make this film.
Another way of phrasing my
curiosity is asking the question why do people lie? Below is a sample of my
thought process.
Why do people lie?
Lies are at the center of the original film. No one is who
they say they are. The hero of the film changes his identity though out the
film. The heroine doen’t know who to trust. The question is asked “Why do
people lie?” The answer given is “
Usually there’s something they want and feel the truth won’t get it for them.” This
is a very pragmatic answer. It’s a very good answer, and works for many
situations, but if you consider that everyone in the film are actors and not
who is who they say they are, then you’re saying that acting is lying, and this
answer is no longer sufficient. So why do people act becomes part of the
question why do people lie. Lying
becomes an even more complicated issue. Lying becomes part of the creative
process.
In the middle of these questions are issues of truth and
identity. An actor might tell you they take on a role, because they have some
understanding of that character. In the safety of the pretend world of acting they can explore the outer
limits of their own identity. So the question they would ask is what is truth,
and what is true about themselves. The lie of acting would then be a test of
what is true about their own identity.
So considering these issues I have a theory. People lie because it sets them free. The simple answer is it sets them free of the truth. But truth and identity are complicated, and can’t be channeled into good and bad behavior. People reinvent themselves on a daily basis. Identity is never stagnant. Some people may change their names and invent a new life for themselves. They may do it for deceptive reasons. They may do it for personal gain, a lie created to get ahead in the world, or then again it might be testing the boundaries of what is true about themselves.
So considering these issues I have a theory. People lie because it sets them free. The simple answer is it sets them free of the truth. But truth and identity are complicated, and can’t be channeled into good and bad behavior. People reinvent themselves on a daily basis. Identity is never stagnant. Some people may change their names and invent a new life for themselves. They may do it for deceptive reasons. They may do it for personal gain, a lie created to get ahead in the world, or then again it might be testing the boundaries of what is true about themselves.
