Forbidden Lie$
“Cool-headed, lighthearted and outrageously entertaining, Forbidden Lie$ is documentary-as-striptease, a careful peeling of claim and counterclaim to reveal one of the most complex literary scandals of our time.”
Forbidden Lie$
Norma Khouri is a thief, a saint, a seductress or a sociopath, depending on whom you talk to. Men want to marry her, Islamic extremists want to kill her, and the global publishing industry wishes she would just disappear. Khouri won fame and fortune with her 'true story' Forbidden Love, about a shocking honor killing in Jordan. The book was a runaway bestseller, translated into multiple languages and Khouri became the toast of the literary world. That was until July 2004, when esteemed Sydney Morning Herald journalist Malcolm Knox exposed her book as a work of fiction. Weaving between the literary salons of London, the mosque-lined vistas of Jordan, the beach side suburbs of Queensland and the seamy Chicago back streets of Norma's dubious past, Forbidden Lie$ pits Norma's tale against the stories of the those who believe she duped them: the publishers, the FBI, her next door neighbor...even her husband. But the most compelling character of all is Norma who, encouraged by director Anna Broinowski, journeys through every shade of gray that separates fact from fiction.
“A stunning up-close glimpse of a con artist's psychotic -- delusional, egomaniacal, unhinged, needy -- psychology, as well as encapsulates the documentarian/reporter's inherent struggle to parse fact and fiction.” (Nick Schager, Slant Magazine)
“Cool-headed, lighthearted and outrageously entertaining, Forbidden Lie$ is documentary-as-striptease, a careful peeling of claim and counterclaim to reveal one of the most complex literary scandals of our time.” (Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times)
“A stunning up-close glimpse of a con artist's psychotic -- delusional, egomaniacal, unhinged, needy -- psychology, as well as encapsulates the documentarian/reporter's inherent struggle to parse fact and fiction.” (Nick Schager, Slant Magazine)
“Cool-headed, lighthearted and outrageously entertaining, Forbidden Lie$ is documentary-as-striptease, a careful peeling of claim and counterclaim to reveal one of the most complex literary scandals of our time.” (Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times)
Played at
Lumiere Music Hall 4.10.09 - 4.16.09
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