Olivier Peyon’s Lie With Me arrives in cinemas and on digital platforms on August 18th.
Lie With Me (review) – a stunning exploration of love found, lost and found again through blood memory, prose and a need for shared healing and individual closure”. READ MORE
In March, I had the pleasure of attending a packed screening of Lie With Me at BFI Flare. The audience’s reaction to Olivier Peyon’s adaptation of Philippe Besson’s bestselling autobiographical novel was glowing.
Besson’s Arrête avec tes mensonges is literally translated as “Stop with Your Lies.” Still, its English title plays on the word “lie” with “Lie With Me,” reflecting its story of hidden lives, secret love, and a father-son relationship damaged by silence. Far from being a word-for-word adaptation of Besson’s novel, Peyon’s film plays with the narrative focus while honouring the key themes in Besson’s work.
As I sat down with Olivier Peyon to discuss Lie with Me before its UK release on August 18th, I was intrigued by these changes to Besson’s novel. Peyon is no stranger to exploring the complex maze of human behaviours that shape our world, from Les petites vacances to the documentary Latifa, le coeur au combat. But I am also interested in what drew Olivier to Besson’s bestseller.
“A producer who had read the book called me and told me it could be a great movie. I was familiar with Philippe Besson’s work, but I had never read the book, so I obtained a copy and was deeply moved, especially by the conclusion. Philippe Besson is a great writer, but I was also curious as, in France, all the book reviews talked about the love story between the two teenagers, but not the element I found most interesting: the story of a son who had suffered from a distant father who kept his life a secret, before discovering his father was once in love with a boy. This really struck me, and for that reason, I wanted to do the movie.”
I am interested in how Olivier communicated that change with Philippe; after all, Arrête avec tes mensonges is an autobiographical story. “I met Philippe and explained what I wanted to do, what I was interested in exploring. Thankfully, he liked the idea and loved the final film. For him, there is a book and a movie, and they are like brothers; they are not the same, but they are a part of each other.”
I can’t hide my admiration for Olivier’s bravery in further enhancing some of the themes housed in Besson’s book, most notably the narrative focus. Lie With Me would opt to explore the present day more than the ’80s love affair. But how did Philippe feel about this altered focus? Olivier smiles, “Philippe understood the differences between novels and films and told me I could adapt freely.
However, I was also aware that Arrête avec tes mensonges was a personal story that needed to be handled with care. I needed to understand the events in the novel fully, so I asked him, step by step, about details that never made it into the book, as well as the emotions and feelings associated with them. I needed to get that right while creating a film that explored things from a different angle. I read extensively about him as an author, from newspaper articles to interviews, and ensured he felt comfortable with every change I made in the film, including the shift to a more present-day focus”.
“In cinema, we don’t have the luxury of time a book does, so we have to find ways of telling a story that works for the audience watching. We had little money and time, so I worked extensively on the script to shape the film’s different connections between the past and the present.”
“…there is a book and a movie, and they are like brothers; they are not the same, but they are a part of each other.”
Equally impressive is Lie With Me’s ability to speak to multiple audiences. Yes, it’s a gay love story at its heart, but its soul holds so much more; it’s about relationships, reconnection, rebirth, and the secrets we all keep locked away. Olivier nods, “You know, after reading the novel, I reflected on its themes, and you are right; while it is a beautiful gay love story, it’s also about family secrets, generational divides and the need for connection. During festival screenings in France, it was evident that a diverse audience was moved by the core themes, encompassing straight men and women as well as LGBTQ+ individuals”.
“Victor Mundo, who plays Lucas (the son), wanted to do the film because of its father-son themes, and in all screenings, it was clear that these themes resonated deeply with the audience. Straight audience members would comment afterwards on the flashback sequences, saying, ‘I didn’t know it was like that for gay people in the 80s’. It challenged people to think about homophobia and its lasting effects.” This ties to my own thoughts, as Lie With Me discusses the need for open communication between men, especially fathers and their sons. Olivier adds, “It’s true, and still sad, that men and boys watching relate to this barrier even now, especially around topics of sexuality and love.”
“…while it is a beautiful gay love story, it’s also about family secrets, generational divides and the need for connection.”
Of course, none of this narrative complexity would work without a stunning ensemble cast. “I was lucky!” Olivier proclaims, “But it was a long process.” He continues.”The first actor to join the project was Guilaine Londez as Gaëlle Flamand, a character not in the book but one I feel added so much to the story. I met Victor three years ago, before he became quite famous in France. He was terrific in this part and was the only person I wanted to play Lucas. The final actor to join was Guillaume de Tonquédec as Stéphane Belcourt.”
“We had someone in this role before Guillaume, but it didn’t work out creatively. We were fortunate to have Guillaume step in. Casting the younger characters was more challenging because of the intimate scenes they shared. Lie With Me was my first love story and my first time directing sex scenes; the sensuality of these scenes was so important, as they marked the birth of love for Stéphane and Thomas. I was lucky because Jérémy and Julien, the two young actors, had read the book before, so they were familiar with both boys’ intimate journey. We discussed their scenes together in detail and shared ideas and suggestions to make each scene more effective. They were both wonderful to work with.”
As our time together draws to a close, I am keen for us to reflect on the themes of first love at the heart of the film. We all know first love can be joyous and wonderful, but it can also be incredibly painful, and I wonder whether any of us ever get over our first love. But Olivier disagrees, “Besson may think your first love stays with you forever. But I don’t think so. No, my life’s most beautiful love story is not the first one. For me, first love was more of an experience; it was just the first draft. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t the love story in the book that struck me, but the silence between a father and son.”
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