The director has decided that his father is an interesting man, and he's right. And the father has something of a story, although it's not thoroughly told. He writes good poetry, but was he known for it or was it just a hobby? When did he move from Russia to Israel, and why? We do know that he cheated on his wife, and he's not the only one in the family with a wandering eye. The movie is structured, a bit artificially, as a series of revelations that the family members must come to terms with, and certain tiny interludes set in nature are sandwiched in-- some as mysteries that turn out to be foreshadowing, others for reasons I can't confidently guess. We're never allowed for long to forget that the people in the movie are not necessarily behaving spontaneously, and the credits tell us a the end that one of the minor figures is even an inserted actress. So there's a self-consciousness projected that on the one hand earns the movie points for honesty but on the other hand keeps the audience at a distance. It's the father, already in his waning years, who's the most believable as himself--- hanging on to all the pride and independence he can while his infirmities, and his past, catch up with him.
Review of Lies I Told Myself
