''Brilliant Lies'' is a 1996 Australian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

produced by Bayside Pictures and Beyond Films. It stars

Gia Carides Gia Carides (; born 7 June 1964) is an Australian actress. She portrayed Liz Holt in ''Strictly Ballroom'' (1992), Susy Connor in '' Brilliant Lies'' (1996), and Cousin Nikki in the ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' franchise (2002–2023). Early ...

and

Anthony LaPaglia Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen he has received several accolades including three AACTA Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. For his starring role as Jac ...

. It was directed by Richard Franklin and produced by Sue Farrelly, Kim McKillop and Richard Franklin. It was written by Peter Fitzpatrick and Richard Franklin, based on a play by

David Williamson David Keith Williamson (born 1942) is an Australian playwright, who has also written screenplays and teleplays. He became known in the early 1970s with his political comic drama '' Don's Party'', and other well-known plays include '' The Clu ...

. Nerida Tyson-Chew composed the music score, the second time she had composed for a film directed by Richard Franklin (after ''

Hotel Sorrento ''Hotel Sorrento'' is a 1995 Australian drama film directed by Richard Franklin. Three sisters reunite in the sleepy Australian town of Sorrento after a ten-year hiatus. One of the three has written a book called ''Melancholy'' which is a thin ...

''). The film was an adaptation of

's play of the same name, published by

Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...

in 1993. The theme song is included on

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...

's 1996 album ''

Blue Box A blue box is an Electronics, electronic device that produces tones used to generate the in-band signaling tones formerly used within the North American long-distance telephone network to send line status and called number information over voi ...

''.

Plot synopsis

Susy Conner accuses former employer Gary Fitzgerald of harassment and unfair dismissal for failing to comply with his sexual demands. Relating the incident to conciliation lawyer Marion Lee, Susy comments that the trauma experienced should entitle her to a compensation payment of $40,000.

Cast

as Gary Fitzgerald *

as Susy Connor *

Zoe Carides Zoe Carides (; born 19 February 1962) is an Australian actress of film and television, who is best known for her roles in '' Death in Brunswick'' as Sophie, '' G. P.'' as Dr. Sonia Kapek and '' Grass Roots'' as Liz Murray. Family Carides was ...

as Katy Connor *

Ray Barrett Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in '' The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s, ...

as Brian Connor *

Catherine Wilkin Catherine Wilkin (born October 1950) is a New Zealand actor who has worked in New Zealand and Australia. Career Wilkin has acted in many Australian television shows, with a mix of guest and multi-episode recurring roles. She played the recur ...

as Marion Lee *

Michael Veitch Michael Veitch (born 29 November 1962 in Melbourne) is an Australian author, actor and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the sketch comedy television shows '' The D-Generation'', '' Fast Forward'' and '' Full Frontal'', as well as for hi ...

as Paul Connor *

Neil Melville Neil Melville is an Australian actor. Early life Melville was born in Sydney, but spent most of his childhood in Apollo Bay, Victoria. In the early 1970s he was lead singer of Geelong rock band 'SteamHammer'. Melville graduated from Adelaide' ...

as Vince *Jennifer Jarman-Walker as Ruth Miller *

Lisa Aldenhoven Lisa Aldenhoven (born c.1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Career Aldenhoven remains best known for her role in the television soap opera ''The Young Doctors'' as Nurse Julie Holland. She appeared in the series from 1978 to 198 ...

as Stephanie Fitzgerald

Production

Richard Franklin had seen the play on stage and decided to make it after having successfully filmed a stage play ''

''. The film was shot in July 1995.

Box office

''Brilliant Lies'' grossed $199,329 in Australia.

Reception

''Brilliant Lies'' received positive reviews from critics, earning an 80% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

Accolades

References

External links

* *
Brilliant Lies
' on

* {{David Williamson 1996 films 1996 drama films Australian drama films Films based on works by David Williamson 1990s English-language films Films shot in Melbourne Plays by David Williamson Films directed by Richard Franklin (director) Films scored by Nerida Tyson-Chew 1990s Australian films Australian films based on plays