Fantastic Lies (2016)

Fantastic!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Marina Zenovich delivers a powerful film with compelling characters and great pacing. She presents what happened without bias as it unfolded. Nothing is rushed. The Duke lacrosse team appears guilty. Mike Nifong appears to be a hero fighting for women everywhere. She presents the case in both Durham and nationally, rich vs. poor, white vs. black, outsider vs. local. She doesn't leave any opinions out. The five most central figures in this film weren't interviewed. That'd be a disaster for most directors, but Zenovich is undeterred. We hear from the lacrosse players' parents and they deliver the type of emotion that the players might not have. She gets us into Mike Nifong's head without Nifong saying a word.

The Twentieth Century saw three notorious rape cases in the United States that were tinged with racial controversy: the Massie Affair and the Scotsborough Boys - both from 1931; and the much later Tawana Brawley case. All three turned out to be grand hoaxes, and all caused enormous damage. Were we really expecting the Twenty-first Century to be any different? The 2006 Duke Lacrosse case saw three supposedly privileged young white men accused of the rape of a black stripper, who most shamefully were tried and convicted in the media before any of them set foot inside a courtroom. Director Marina Zenovich has done an exemplary job with this exhaustive documentary which was released a decade and a week after the gang rape that never happened.At the end of the day, the only person who ended up in gaol over this sordid affair was the District Attorney. We hear from him only in archive footage, ditto the accused, none of them wanting to take part, nor did any of the university faculty. The one curious desideratum is Kim Roberts, the other exotic dancer who was present when Crystal Mangum wasn't raped.One thing that sticks out is the apologetics for this clearly toxic woman, even from at least one of her victims. It's all down to her poor mental health - boo hoo. Guess that must be yet another example of the misogynistic rape culture in which we live. Not.Mangum wanted to appear in this documentary, but couldn't due to, uh hum, force majeure! In archive footage though she gives a lachrymosal performance: "The Duke Lacrosse case will never define who I am". Dead right - having stabbed her lover to death, for which she received a maximum eighteen year sentence, she is now forever defined as a convicted murderess.

30 for 30: Fantastic Lies (2016) **** (out of 4)The Duke Lacross scandal is something that I'm sure most people watching this episode of 30 for 30 will remember. The basic story is that a black stripper went to a party on the Duke campus, which was held by members of the lacrosse team. From there she went to the police stating that she had been raped. What followed was an insane media circus that had typical story lines: White vs black. Rich vs poor. Privledged vs a nobody. The entire media turned on the players without every asking what the truth was.I must admit that I remember every bit of this case. I remember the first time it was reported by ESPN and I followed throughout the next year. At the same time I must admit that I thought the boys were guilty and this documentary shows why people such as myself were stupid for believing the story that the media was selling but the film also discusses why so many people of power were guilty for falling for lies. This is a pretty remarkable case because there was absolutely no evidence against the three Duke players yet no one really cared about that and the media was more interested in telling the story of rich Duke kids raping a poor black woman.Considering the current political nature in this country, FANTASTIC LIES is even more power. There's no question that the 30 for 30 series has been an excellent form of entertainment over the years and it has delivered many great episodes but this one here is without question one of the best. Many of the key players aren't interviewed but there are some members from the media who stand up and admit that they were wrong. There's some great discussion about the various crimes committed by the D.A. and the police. As one of the Duke victims said, if they would do this to rich people what were they doing to those who couldn't defend themselves? This is certainly one of the best episodes in the series and hopefully the final word that clears the people who were innocent of the charges.

I had the opportunity to see the World Premiere of Fantastic Lies at Austin's SXSW Film Festival last night. It was very well-received. It will premiere tonight – for the 10th anniversary - on ESPN's 30 for 30 series although it is a film that goes well beyond issues of sports. The documentary is a very even-handed attempt to examine the tragedy of the Duke Lacrosse rape case. The tragedy appears to be that 3 young men had their lives nearly ruined by a false allegation of a rape that never happened. The rape accusation was exploited by an ambitious prosecutor and various other forces looking to address existing – and very real concerns – about class and race in Durham, NC. The film explores the evidence and talks to many of those close to the case such as the parents of some of the accused lacrosse players. It presents a thorough examination of the ugly events and political shenanigans around them. While some questions remain unanswered – and perhaps are unanswerable – the film fits in well with so many other documentaries of innocent people accused of crimes they didn't commit. In that sense, it fits in with the many documentaries made about the West Memphis Three, Cameron Willingham, Michael Morton and so many other cases where ambitious prosecutors have gotten ahead of their evidence.The problem that bothered me is that it never really addressed the larger issues of the epidemic of campus sexual assault raised by the recent documentary, The Hunting Ground, and many other reports. This case seems to be an exceptional one when it comes to campus sexual assault where the politics led to a false accusation whereas the more common problem seems to be institutions that cover and protect sexual predators. It felt like that larger issue was left unaddressed. Still, the film is certainly recommended for those looking to understand a disturbing sequence of events at an elite university.