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A Hundred Lies tracks a musician’s life and the struggles it comes with, including making a name in music production. Granted, it’s not oriented to narrative very well, but the film is successful in bringing together a powerful character’s journey and adequately resolving it without messing too much with the plot. Ricky (Rob Raco) is a 25-year-old aspiring musician. He spends his days dreaming, writing songs, performing in shabby bars, and caring for his sick mother. Meeting Fiona (Humberly González) is the beginning of a gorgeous story, but afterward, Ricky’s tale becomes a sad commentary on every cliche associated with a struggling artist.
The movie certainly takes some creative liberties which is where I got disconnected from the story, but ultimately, I have to say that Ricky’s fall is loud and poetic in nature. In terms of visual language, Rouzbeh Heydari’s film is daring enough to take its story to a dark conclusion which, while feeling a bit abrupt, is also the only place the film can go to. Ricky suffers the consequences of his own actions, and the character did not go on a redemptive arc that can magically save him. Instead, Heydari goes with an ending that feels honest, but for some reason, does not appeal to many. It feels like he never had control over the story he wanted to tell, but that isn’t a negative trait. It is the exact opposite: Heydari’s version of the world is that Ricky’s moral code is at least somewhat universal.
At the heart of A Hundred Lies, there is a personal journey that I felt really connected to. It isn’t often that a film which feels so simplistic is able to do this, but this drama thriller was good enough for me to contemplate it for some time. I was expecting to have its song stuck in my head, but I don’t think it was that infectious. What was catchy were the performances, especially González’s, who can easily become a powerful female figure with better scripts at her disposal.
The film struggles to portray the darker aspects of an industry revolving around music. Although it does not detract from the storyline; I felt the story could go further (Brandon McKnight’s rendition of Terrence, the music mogul, is outstanding). When A Hundred Lies does not try to fit itself into a crime-thriller mold and instead revolves around two well-crafted protagonists, it becomes much more engaging. The way Ricky and Fiona connect is something that can easily be felt and admired, and here, Fiona becomes the ultimate muse every artist hopes to have. That is where the film won me over, and close to the end, I was wondering how the film could have such a premise and still not have a happy ending. From all the embedded narrative, the characters built strong fostered feelings that led me to believe that the protagonists were destined to succeed in their journey.
Likeable characters. That is the biggest merit of A Hundred Lies, an indie film that tries to be a crime thriller and ultimately ends up being a romance drama instead. Or it might be the softer side of me speaking. I usually never buy into the concept of two people being ‘meant to be’ but after seeing Fiona and Ricky together, I can’t say I was surprised. This is good acting stemming from a good script, which is a basic element of film that, surprisingly, I have started enjoying more than I thought I would.
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