The film will air in New Zealand cinemas April 25, 2024.
Video / Rialto
A feature-length look into the tragic case, The Lie has the blessing of Millane’s mother, and will be released in New Zealand theatres on April 25.
A new documentary that explores the tragic murder of Grace Millane will air in New Zealand this April.
The circumstances around her death raised debates around consent, victimisation and violence against women – much of which is explored in the film, produced by Matthew Metcalfe and Tom Blackwell of GFC Films.
It was a meeting with Detective Inspector Scott Beard, who was in charge of the investigation, that sparked their decision to put the story on film; Beard told them that the case made him think something was broken in society, and Millane’s death should have been prevented.
The 21-year-old Brit was murdered in 2018, on the eve of her birthday, in a case that shocked New Zealand and made headlines around the world, and the case generated an outpouring of empathy, and stirred discussions around consent, the safety of Tinder, violence against women.
Coverage of the trial – particularly on social media – also raised questions around name suppression laws, and how much detail about a case the public really needed to know.
Metcalfe has said Millane was “revictimised during that trial” and was initially “dubious” about pursuing a film on the topic.
The true crime genre is one that has been questioned in recent years – criticism has been levelled at some properties for story sovereignty, exploitation and voyeurism.
The Lie aims to address the subject matter – and the people at the heart of its story – with an empathetic approach.
A new documentary about Grace Millane, The Lie, will air in New Zealand cinemas April 25, 2024.
British director Helena Coan (Audrey, Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story) is understood to have taken a victim centred look at the case, and the documentary will delve into gender violence, social attitudes, and how we collectively navigate and mitigate abusive behaviour. Coan also tackles the controversial “rough sex” defence, which was deployed by the defence lawyers during the trial, is also examined.
“I just wanted to show the step-by-step act of how this can happen. It was all about making it immersive and uncomfortable and unflinching. I wanted to make a film that stays with the viewer long after they’ve watched it,” the director has said. “This film is very sad, but if this film could save one person’s life or make one man look at his behaviour or help someone get out of an abusive relationship, then it’s worth doing.”
Blackwell hopes the film will say something about society, and the issue around men and entitlement. “We want every male in the audience to be uncomfortable at times,” he’s said, and they wanted to “make a film that started hard conversations. And to actually change the way men’s behaviour is talked about.”
It’s about a dysfunction in society, Metcalf said. “It’s about a problem that men collectively have that they need to look at, and a problem that society needs to deal with.”
The New Zealand Heraldreported the distribution of the documentary earlier this year, and that it would include never-before-seen interviews and CCTV footage.
Director Helena Coan utilises CCTV footage in the documentary.
Coan also made a point of reaching out to Millane’s family, including mother Gillian Millane. “One of the first things I did was to write to Grace’s mum to ask for her blessing to make the film, and she gave me her blessing”.
The family were in the media glare throughout the investigation and trial, which saw her killer, Jesse Kempson, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
This isn’t the first time that the tragic story and search for justice has become a narrative; TVNZ aired the two-part docu-series Swipe, Match, Murder: The Disappearance of Grace Millane aired in December 2020, while an award-winning 2021 book by Steve Braunias, Missing Persons, begins and ends with the Millane story.
The Lie is released in cinemas nationwide on April 25.
