In his production notes, director Guillaume Canet relates how after the success of his film Tell No One he ended up hospitalized for a month with septicemia and depression. The earlier film took so much out of him that the first germ that came along took him down. While in the hospital he had time to think about life and what matters. "It finally occurred to me that my whole existence couldn't begin and end with my work. That made me realize how much I'd deceived myself over the years about what I really wanted, and how much energy I'd devoted to my work in order to avoid having to think about things." The result of his soul searching is his new film Little White Lies.

The film opens with a terrible accident. Ludo has been partying at a club and heads off on his motorcycle. He ends up in the hospital in very critical condition. His circle of friends gathers to visit him. This group has vacationed together for several years. It is time for them to head to the coast for their vacation, but can they leave Ludo there alone? They know he'll be laid up for some time, so they head off to vacation; it's only an hour's flight away if anything goes wrong.

This is an ensemble piece akin to The Big Chill or The Return of the Secaucus Seven. This cohort of friends, who have a history together, must face their pasts and their futures as they begin to face life's crises. The dynamics of the group and of various pairings have evolved through the years. We think they all know each other and each other's secrets, but in fact, their time together is built on the lies they tell each other and even themselves. Not big lies, just the kind of little white lies that allow us to feel good about ourselves and others. But during this vacation, some of those lies begin to come undone, leaving everyone vulnerable.

We see many of the fears, frustrations, and desires that drive these people. Even though they are in the group, there are times they are very alone. One shot makes this very clear. Coming in from a day out on Max's boat, each person sits facing a different direction. No one is talking. No one is touching. Here they are all together, yet totally alone.

Oh, and what about poor Ludo, back in his Paris hospital room? Do the others note his absence from their summer time together? Do they remember that he is fighting for his life? Will they see that Ludo may be a reminder of the lie they all share that mortality is not part of their world?

This is the kind of film that drives me to look through Ecclesiastes. The writer of that book goes through various ways of searching for happiness. These characters represent some of those ways: work, wealth, pleasure. And yet, they will discover what the author of Ecclesiastes says at the very beginning: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." That discovery may lead to the end of their lies and to new understandings of life, love, and happiness that is not based on one's own needs and desires alone.