Director's Statement: Andy Blicq
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The search for The Truth About Liars began with two simple questions. Why do we lie? And why are we so lousy at detecting liars? More than a year has passed since we first posed those questions. With final packaging of the documentary now almost complete, we believe we've found at least some of the answers...and something more. Early in the research it became clear that a close examination of liars and lying involves a journey into some fundamental stuff about what it means to be human.
We began by asking some of the world's top scientists about our lying ways. Their research painted a less than flattering picture of human behaviour. We all lie. We evolved to lie because it works. It helps us get what we want. And they told us that the belief that we don't lie is just a lie we tell ourselves.
Andy Blicq is an award-winning television producer and director with more than 20 years experience. He is currently working on a documentary about shoplifting for the CBC...but he could be lying about that.
The truth is...lies do complicate our lives. The big ones can do terrible harm. But in the end we simply can't live without some fibbing. Our social interactions wouldn't work without the white lies we tell each other every day. And for most of us, to embrace the absolute truth about our family and friends and the world around us would simply be too difficult to bear.
We learned that when it comes to catching liars, all but a very few of us might as well just be guessing. We're terrible lie detectors. Mother Nature has made us that way for a reason. And while science is making some headway, a sure fire way to detect lies still eludes us all.
Documentary makers often ask: "what's the 'takeaway'?" in the stories they tell. I would like to suggest that you watch this film with an open mind about deception and the choices each of us make every day. The fact is, when it comes to honesty, few among us qualify for sainthood. Instead, there is much to learn about life, ourselves and others once we abandon that vanity and open the shutters to The Truth About Liars.
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