As i mentioned in the previous post about what I wanted to get out of the studio, I am currently also partaking in the course “True Lies: Documentary Studies.” I believe this class and the documentary we had to watch this week is a perfect option for this post as it reflects on non-fiction content and the art of documentaries.

Forbidden Lie$ is an Australian documentary which tells the story of Norma Khouri who published a “non fiction” book called Forbidden Love in 2003, only for it to be based on lies rather than the truth. Claiming to live in Jordan, Norma centres her book on the honour killing of her best friend “Dalia,” who was killed in the hands of her father for loving a man of another religion. Dalia was killed in order to cleanse the family name and hence, Norma wanted to avenge her death by getting justice and changing the laws that allow for these acts to take place.

However, that is what Norma wants YOU to believe. This documentary uncovers the lies and deception that Norma created in order to create personal gain. I won’t give everything away, however, it becomes very easily for you to soon tell what is truth and what is false when it comes to Norma. Like Elmyr from “F for Fake,” Norma is displayed as a con-artist with sociopathic tendencies. However, unlike Elmyr who admitted to committing fraud, Norma only admitted to small parts of the lies she created, and when she did, she made sure she could justify why she did it in order for people to sympathise with her. Norma displayed no remorse for what resulted from her actions, but rather only cared for herself and her image in the end.

This documentary takes on a very traditional documentary form, using interviews, re-enactments and following a ‘chronological order of events’ structure. What was interesting was the use of incorporating Anna Broinowski, the director, into the second half of the film as she appears on screen rather than off. However, unlike in F for Fake where Olson is a main subject and uses on-screen narration, Anna is shown just interviewing Norma, specifically in their time in Jordan when she becomes frustrated with the continues lies generated by the main “character” in her documentary. In many occasions, you can see the reality of the director becoming annoyed with the little progression that is occurring because of set backs. In this case, the set back was Norma, who was leading them on a trial of deception without letting them know until AFTER her actions had consequences. I believe showing this frustration was a great element in regard to showing the real effects Norma’s lies had on the people around on her. In terms of creating non-fictional content, this was perfect for adding to the authenticity.

This documentary also has a controversial and abrupt ending which for many viewers seemed not needed. Norma, at the end of the entire ordeal, told Anna and her audience that she had been sexually abused by her father as a child. This is confusing as earlier in the film, her father was interviewed alongside Norma in their journey through Jordan and seemed to have a good relationship with his daughter. It is here where the film ends, and text tells the audience watching that this was proven to be false. In fact, Anna in an interview after the creation of this documentary, revealed that she didn’t believe Norma’s father was even her true dad, as she was so good at lying.

Forbidden Lie$ was not only interesting to watch, but a great example of non-fictional content I can consider while working within my studio, Real to Reel.