How does the satire “The Perfect Liar” test the power of the new ethics and what lies behind the appearance of liberal values?

“I used to think that the roads in America were paved with gold. When I came here, I realized that wasn’t the case, that I had to build the golden road myself.” These words are spoken by a Turkish servant to the main anti-hero, the new chef Floyd Monk (Peter Sarsgaard), or rather, a con artist who has stolen the identity of a dead man. The con artist enters a luxurious mansion on a remote island with his documents.

It was here that the family patriarch, Jay Horton (Billy Magnussen), decided to retire, away from the horrors of World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic. But no one except those close to him knows this: for most, liberal journalist, vegetarian and pacifist Horton writes harsh and revealing reports directly from the front lines. It was especially difficult for US President Woodrow Wilson, who hid the number of deaths from the virus from the people so that schools, businesses, medical and gastronomic institutions could continue to operate. The parallels between 1918 and the coronavirus pandemic are quite obvious, especially the reaction of Americans to Donald Trump’s statements, who deliberately downplayed the danger of COVID-19.

Jay Horton believes that he does everything for the benefit of ordinary people, but in addition to writing fake news, he also lounges in the pool and enjoys gourmet food. After all, it is known “how passionate the conversations about Golgotha ​​are over a glass of cognac and a cup of coffee.” Despite his hypocrisy, he does not seem to us a scoundrel. And the rebel Floyd, who is looking for something to profit from, makes a completely different impression. It is no coincidence that he is compared to the jackal, a cunning trickster in Native American legends.

Unlike the owner, he does not deceive himself with illusions about the brotherhood and equality of all people. At first, Floyd Monk plays with Jay Horton’s illusions about himself, pretending to be his admirer, and then convinces even the servants to revolt and take the place of the head of the house. It is no coincidence that the title of the film (Coup!) can be translated as “coup”, “shot” and even “chess move”. The gun will be fired literally more than once.

The socio-political satire “The Perfect Liar” was directed by Joseph Schumann and Austin Stark from an original script. Despite the similar themes to Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”, Lars von Trier’s “Dogville”, Zvyagintsev’s “Elena” and Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games”, the film cannot be called secondary. This is due to the unexpected tumbles that completely change the attitude towards the heroes. The position of the pieces on the board will change so often that it becomes unclear who is the hunter and who is the hunted.

While there is no doubt throughout the film that Floyd Monk is a murderer, the truth turns out to be surprisingly simple. And the directors probably intentionally named the character after George Floyd, an African-American man who was a victim of the system and was shot dead by a white police officer in 2020.

Joseph Schumann and Austin Stark have shown that it is easier to believe a lie than the truth. After all, Jay Horton began to lose his influence just when he most wanted to open everyone’s eyes to what was happening. When he put on the mask, he took power back into his own hands. Similarly, his “enemy” became vulnerable only when he showed all his cards. It seems Floyd Monk was right, and at a time when civilization is on the brink of collapse, scoundrels are showing their best qualities and those we thought were heroes are turning into real scoundrels.

The satire “The Perfect Liar” will be released in Russian cinemas on August 22, 2024.