Let us be honest and admit that we all lie and lie about lying as well. It is undeniable that sometimes we do it on purpose, either to achieve something or just to avoid any confrontations. However, there is no justification for being dishonest. Weirdly enough, dishonesty is a part of life that we can’t seem to avoid. But we have found ways to define our lies, right? We sugarcoat dishonesty by trying to convince ourselves and others that the lie is harmless. Director Biodun Stephen has shown us exactly how a simple act of dishonesty affects the one who lies and others who have been lied to. The narrative of the film “A Simple Lie” is lucid yet vividly documents how webs of lies ultimately leave people vulnerable.
Spoilers Ahead
Love, Lust, And Lies
The protagonist of the film is Boma (Bisola Aiyeola), who comes from an affluent family and is a compulsive liar. Boma is in her late 30s, still single, and is desperate to be in a relationship. However, unfortunately, she always attracts men who are emotionally distant. She keeps on complaining about her lonely personal life to her peers, who constantly try to support her. In the meantime, Boma’s friend Azeem’s (Emmanuel Ikubese) wife, Donna (Bolaji Ogunmola), introduced her to her friend Xavier (Kachi Nnochiri). Boma gets emotionally attached to Xavier only to find out that Xavier is already in love with someone else. Boma was undoubtedly upset, and they broke up. However, after almost a year, Xavier tried to contact Boma. It is when Boma began weaving her tale. Boma told Xavier that she was terminally ill, and she had not yet processed the news. She urges Xavier to keep it a secret. Xavier had earlier ditched Boma, but he felt guilty about Boma’s condition, so they resumed their love affair.
There is something about lies that people often forget. It is impossible to live with lies for a very long forget. Truth always finds a way to penetrate and wash away every shred of a lie. Similarly, Boma’s lie was out in broad daylight, along with many others. It all began as soon as Xavier informed Donna about Boma’s situation. Donna and Boma had a fallout because the woman Xavier was attracted to was Donna. Donna knew all about it when she introduced Boma to Xavier. This secret jeopardized Boma’s relationship. Donna and her husband, Azeem appeared to be a happy couple until the truth about Xavier came to light. As soon as Xavier informed Donna, she decided to drive over to Boma’s place to check on her. Donna informs her husband, Azeem, about Boma. Azeem was worried for Donna, who was pregnant, and also because Boma’s condition was a jolt from the blues.
Boma was taken aback to find Donna at her place. Having Xavior coming over, made things harder. Boma had earlier called another friend, Fade (Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori), on whom she had earlier bailed. Fade is a carefree person who lives life on her own terms. Fade came to Boma’s house and was surprised to see the other lot there. Soon, Azeem visits Boma’s house, and the most unfortunate reunion occurs.
As the group began discussing Boma’s condition and her health, Boma knew her simple lie had gone too far. She pretended to be sick and escaped to her bathroom. The uncomfortable conversation began to escalate as Azeem and Xavier’s rivalry surfaced. Fade went to check on Boma. Understanding that Boma had no more control over the situation, she came clean to Fade.
Fade was both amazed and furious to learn how low Boma had stooped to maintain their relationship. However, Fade knows it’s better not to judge anyone, for everyone in the group has their own secrets and lies. Soon, the web of lies began to unravel. Each member of the group had compromised themselves. Xavier and Donna had a brief relationship because Donna was in an abusive relationship with Azeem. Azeem had also been physically intimate with Fade and was not happy with Donna. He also had an affair with Boma. As all the secrets began to unfold, the director masterfully painted a clear picture of how a ‘simple lie’ can manifest.
‘A Simple Lie’ Ending – Another Lie To Cover Up A Simple Lie
Before coming to Boma’s place, Donna had informed Boma’s sister about her condition. Boma’s family came rushing towards Boma’s apartment while the group was busy blaming each other for having secrets. The group was perplexed at finding Boma’s family approaching her apartment. Unable to think of how to manage the most disgraceful situation, Fade decided to go with the lie. She told the group to tell Boma’s family that she was dead. Fade rushed out as the others followed in, carrying on with the simple lie that Boma had planted. The movie ends as each one laments Boma’s faux death.
The film is an amazing documentation of how lies destroy people. Simultaneously, it also highlights how society compels people to lie just to achieve acceptance. The constant pressure to find love and start a family has deeply penetrated humans to a toxic level. This toxic social standard has fogged the brains of many in their ability to distinguish between right and wrong. So, it is up to the audience if they would blame Boma and others for being dishonest or blame society for having set such unhealthy standards for a complete life.