The Truth About Lies
Writer/Director Phil Allocco
The Truth About Lies follows Gilby (Fran Kraz) as he moves from sort-of adrift to full-blown meltdown status. Fired from his job, dumped by his girlfriend, and living at home with mom after his apartment catches on fire, Gilby finds himself at rock bottom—then starts lying his way back to the top. The result is a funny, at times spot-on look at what happens when fiction and reality try to co-exist. For more, visit thetruthaboutliesmovie.com
Tell me about Gilby’s origin story. Is he based on anyone you know? The movie is more autobiographical that I’d like to admit. Like Gilby, I lost my career, my apartment burned down, and I moved in with my girlfriend, who ended up leaving me for someone else. None of these things seemed funny to me at the time, but looking back while I was writing, they became hysterical. Almost every scene is based on some real event in my life.
The initial idea for the film was to create a story around lies. It didn’t start out as a comedy, but as I wrote it, it became one. My only prerequisite was that every character had to either be lying to each other or to themselves. It wasn’t going to be malicious lying; more along the lines of ‘little white lies’ that blow up in the characters’ faces. And as each character becomes tangled in the web of lies, we find out more about why they lie, and how it helps free them from their situation and eventually leads them to the truth.
What’s the worst lie you’ve ever told? Like Gilby, I lied my way into a job. I had a music career that died and I couldn’t find anyone who would hire me. I was a recoding artist with MCA Records for the previous five years and had no job history. To quote one interviewer: “If we need a rock star we’ll call you.” That really happened! A friend told me about this job interview and I reluctantly went in convinced I wouldn’t get it. I went in and just entertained myself and basically lied like crazy. It was a computer job, and at the time I knew nothing about computers — but that didn’t stop me. I really didn’t think I had any chance of getting the job so I had fun with it. It was actually freeing it just make up stuff thinking there were no consequences.
Did you get caught? And if so, how and what happened? I did not get caught — it actually worked out really well. I got hired and eventually I hired a few other out of work friends. So much for honesty.
What was the biggest challenge presented to you over the course of making the film? That’s a tough one because everything seams like an impossible challenge. I guess the biggest challenge for me is the tenacity needed to take it from a script to completion; building a team and staying focused and inspired through every stage. Just when you think you’ve accomplished a step the next step is even harder and keeps getting harder all the way through. It is a marathon.
What was the biggest take-away for you? What did The Truth About Lies teach you about yourself? I think the process has made me less cynical and a bit less pragmatic. You need so much luck for things to work out that it does feel magical at times. Actually, when I look back at the process, it seems like a miracle it all came together. Every time we hit a brick wall, some unexpected break happened. Amazing things happen when passionate people come together to try to create something.
What do you hope people take away from the film? First off, I hope people are entertained and find it funny. I hope that they have a great ride watching the film but also leave with something to think about.
