Its original Spanish title is just Mentiras (“Lies”), which is far more similar to Liar, the name of the 2017 British series on which Lies & Deceit (Netflix) is based. In Liar, Joanne Froggat (Downton Abbey) and Ioan Gruffudd played the two professionals at odds about what actually occurred on their first date night; in this instance, it is Angela Cremonte and Javier Rey.
LIES AND DECEIT: IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Mediterranean with the tide lapping in the opening shot. A woman is paddling her sea kayak over the rocky shore of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands.
The Short Version: After finishing her morning workout, Laura (Angela Cremonte) heads back to her beautiful bayside home, where Ivan (Miquel Fernandez) is finishing off the final box he is packing. 13 years of marriage resulted in their difficult but amicable separation. While taking his son Lucas to the high school where Laura is Lucas’s literature teacher, Xavier (Javier Rey) is doing the same. Xavier has previously flirted with her, and today he goes all in. “I know it’s a little early, but I’d be happy to get you a drink sometime. No conditions attached. Laura is ecstatic. Javier is ecstatic. And Cata, played by Manuela Velasco, is ecstatic. She works as a nurse at the hospital where Xavier practises surgery and is Laura’s sister. She tells Laura to “go have fun,” and Laura is filled with butterflies. “Cata, I haven’t dated anyone other than Ivan for half my life.”
When Laura and Xavier first meet, they laugh and exchange greetings in a restaurant. However, all of a sudden, it is the following morning, and Laura awakens in her bed feeling dazed and confused. He smiles warmly as he welcomes his son to Xavier’s and texts Laura later. “Thanks for a night I’ll never forget.” He even expresses to his friend how eager he is to see her once more. Okay, so why is Laura trying to reconstruct the evening while fighting waves of nausea in the staff restroom?
Laura visits Cata in tears. She acknowledges that wine played a part, but that is not the case. She says, “I believe I told him to stop. It appears that everything happened to someone else. We also get to see more of the evening in flashbacks. Walking her home was Xavier. Inside, Xavier is awaiting a taxi. Xavier uncorking a new wine bottle.
When Laura and Cata take Cata to the clinic for her forensic examination, Cata gives the police a statement that leads to the arrest of Xavier and their questioning. He’s terrified and incredulous. She gave me a kiss. I didn’t push her at all. As we embraced. Nothing would have happened if I had assumed she didn’t want to. The police are unable to make any arrests because of the discrepancy between Xavier’s account of the event and Laura’s, as well as the lack of any concrete evidence—examination Laura’s revealed no signs of assault, and she tested negative for drugs. While their hands are restrained, Laura’s are not. She posts about what she claims Xavier did to her on social media, still outraged and now feeling more like the accuser than the victim.
What TV series will it make you think of? Javier Rey and Angela Cremonte are both familiar with Netflix. Cremonte co-starred in the recent fantasy drama Feria: The Darkest Light and as Elisa Cifuentes on Cable Girls for its five seasons on the streaming service. Hache, a historical crime drama, and Cocaine Coast both starred Rey.
Our Opinion: Although the re-titling of Lies & Deceit is odd, it is not necessarily incorrect. Although it’s not evident who’s lying yet, it’s there and unplaceable, just like Laura’s memories of the evening that she can’t quite put together. And what about lying? You may recall Cata’s happiness when Xavier asked Laura out. She is more than simply Xavier’s capable nurse or her sister’s shoulder to weep on, let’s just say. This is merely the pilot. However, Lies & Deceit has already shown that not just Laura and Xavier will be affected by their time together.
That is due in part to proximity. Cata and Xavier collaborate; Laura is the son of Xavier’s student. Anyone trying to hide in such close social quarters will find it challenging. A wonderful scenario occurs toward the end of the first episode when Xavier emerges out of nowhere in Laura’s deserted classroom. Is he merely a worried parent? Naturally not, but he might be. He expresses regret for their “miscommunication” and whatever else she “thinks” may have transpired between them. She tells Ivan later that astonishingly, she almost believed Xavier. Her arms tremble, her eyes are crimson at the edges, and she feels threatened, ashamed, and confused all at once. Even if Xavier’s dominant personality feature is still arrogant, she is full of doubt, rage, and shame as well as an apology to him. As the events of Lies & Deceit unfold, it will be intriguing to see what happened, when, how, and most importantly, who did what to whom.
There is no sex or skin here; simply the painful memory of a night gone wrong
Last Word: Xavier has been identified as Laura’s attacker in a social media post that has gone online. Cata is informed by Laura that “not one of Xavier’s coworkers, relatives, or friends knew anything about him before I posted this about him.” She is resolute. They are aware now.
Sleeper: Manuela Velasco, who played alongside Javier Rey in the 1950s fashion house drama Velvet, is fantastic as Cata in this film. She is Laura’s older sister and has a seemingly ideal home life. She supports Laura in a lot of ways, but she also has a lot of secrets of her own.
Most Pilot-like Line: Laura informs Ivan, “He came to meet me at school to clear everything out.” “In my classroom, I was by myself. He entered my classroom, stood in front of me, and looked directly into my eyes. For a brief moment, he almost made me doubt my own abilities.
It’s time to WATCH IT. The revenge in Lies & Deceit, an adaptation of the British thriller Liar, offers lots of opportunities for twists and turns. Who is being truthful about that crucial night? It’ll be entertaining to observe and learn.
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