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Review

Lanny Morris (Bacon) and Vince Collins (Firth) had the catbird seat in the late 1950s; the comedy team held sway in clubs and on TV, and had movie vehicles created for them. They enjoyed the Rat Pack veneer of the sophisticated bad-boy, with affable misogyny and the casual drug use of the time. Their defining event was an annual 36-hour telethon to raise money to combat polio. After 36 non-stop hours, they usually relaxed for weeks afterward. But not in 1957, when mob boss Sally (Chaykin) taps them to headline the grand opening of his New Jersey hotel/casino — the day after their telethon. When it’s pointed out that they’ll be exhausted, he declares that he wants his new enterprise christened by weary heroes, fatigued by their selfless efforts. He appropriates them against their will, an omen that their Golden Age is in decline . . . an augury that proves accurate when the dead girl is found in their hotel suite. Director Egoyan effortlessly moves back and forth across the decades, rearranging shards of the story into new patterns, a kaleidoscopic exposition suggesting alternate realties and varying perspectives. The character and nuance of each decade is faithfully recreated, and both Bacon and Firth fully realize a deterioration of body and spirit as times change and they become entertainment footnotes. They deliver arresting, perfectly communicated portraits of two men trapped in an opulent hell, surrounded by material comfort as their souls sicken and die. The story opens in 1972, as a young woman, once one of the polio children, investigates the break-up of Lanny and Vince, and the mystery of the dead girl. Elements of the story are set forth to reveal overt malevolence, instantly recognizable and without pretense. But more insidious, more dangerous, is the evil that can emerge from the most obscure portal to insinuate itself into the very fabric of a human life. Where the Truth Lies is a journey into the nature of human relationships, a reflection on our capacity for self-deception, and the protection of illusion against harsh, debilitating truths.