The Four-Faced Liar 2010 Movie Review

『A Story of Women Finding Their Path Between Familiarity and Genuine Feelings』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: The Four-Faced Liar (2010)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA
🎞️ Genre: Comedy / Romance / Drama
⏳ Runtime: 88 minutes
📢 Director: Jacob Chase
🖋️ Screenplay: Marja-Lewis Ryan

👩‍💼 Cast: Emily Peck – Molly
Marja-Lewis Ryan – Bridget

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🌆 The Meaning of ‘The Four-Faced Liar’

The movie’s title comes from the Irish-style pub that the protagonists often frequent. The pub’s name originates from an Irish clock tower whose four faces all show different times, making it ‘a liar on all sides.’ This symbolizes the film’s central theme of lies and deception—the falsehoods the four protagonists tell each other and themselves about their relationships and desires.

At its core, The Four-Faced Liar follows the fiery trajectory of the relationship between the two women protagonists, Molly and Bridget. Their meeting and romance go beyond the typical plot of ‘a straight woman attracted to a lesbian,’ delving instead into themes of sexual fluidity, self-deception, and genuine passion.

💔 The Beginning of the Relationship: Opposite Charms and Shared ‘Lack’

Molly and Bridget are introduced as characters with opposite traits from the very beginning.

• Molly: A literature major in a stable long-distance relationship, predictable and somewhat ‘trapped’ in her life.
• Bridget: Outspoken, carefree, and a commitment-phobic lesbian player who rotates lovers from ‘Monday through Sunday.’

They grow closer over a shared interest in Wuthering Heights, which is highly symbolic. Molly discovers in Bridget the intensity and uncontrollable allure she cannot find in her boyfriend Greg, while Bridget, who has never felt true emotional connection in her fleeting flings, sees in Molly the first chance at genuine commitment. For Molly, Bridget represents her longed-for ‘Heathcliff’—a figure of overwhelming passion.

Their relationship ultimately begins from a mutual exchange of lack: Molly craves passion, while Bridget yearns for lasting emotional depth.

🔄 Sexual Awakening and Breaking Boundaries

The relationship between Molly and Bridget transcends the trope of ‘friends becoming lovers’ and depicts Molly’s journey of sexual identity redefinition.

• Explosion of repressed desire: Molly chose a stable, ‘good enough’ life, but Bridget represents her long-suppressed spontaneous desire and sexual curiosity. A symbolic moment of this eruption occurs at the New Year’s Eve party, when Bridget pushes Molly against the bathroom wall and kisses her.
• The lie of being ‘straight’: Molly continues her relationship with Greg while secretly starting an affair with Bridget. Like the film’s title, this shows that Molly is clinging to her biggest lie: that she is straight. She does not want to abandon the safe heterosexual world, yet she cannot resist the thrill and authenticity that Bridget offers.

Their physical and emotional encounters are not mere infidelity; they represent Molly’s awakening to her sexual fluidity and mark a rite of passage into a ‘new world.’

🎬 Crisis in the Relationship and the ‘Imperfect Ending’

Their relationship faces a crisis when Molly declares she will return to Greg and marry him. This decision makes it seem like Molly is choosing the safe but dull life over the dangerous but authentic passion.

But Bridget remains faithful to her genuine feelings until the end. At Molly’s birthday party, she confesses simply yet sincerely: “I like you.” This creates the most honest moment amid the whirlwind of emotions.

Eventually, after things fall apart with Greg, Molly goes back to Bridget’s place. The final scene encapsulates their relationship best.

💬 Molly and Bridget lie side by side on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Bridget says, “You keep me completely interested.” When Molly confesses, “I love you,” Bridget pauses, then replies simply, “So,” before returning her gaze to the ceiling.

This ending does not promise a traditional romantic ‘happily ever after.’ Instead, it emphasizes that their relationship is both a new beginning and an uncharted territory. Whether Bridget’s ‘interest’ will evolve into ‘love’ is unknown, and Molly’s sexual identity remains in flux. The final word—“So”—suggests their relationship is not an endpoint but the start of a complex, ongoing journey.

🌈 A Realistic Queer Romance Beyond Tropes

Molly and Bridget’s story may follow the somewhat typical trope of a ‘straight woman’s sexual awakening,’ but thanks to the depth of the characters and their chemistry, it carries genuine resonance.

• Redefining Bridget: Played by the writer herself, Bridget defies the usual stereotype of the female ‘player’ by showing vulnerability and emotional depth. Meeting Molly challenges her casual lifestyle and gives her dimension.
• Authentic depiction of connection: The raw performances of the two leads convincingly portray that their attraction stems not only from strong sexual desire but also from a deep intellectual and emotional bond.

Ultimately, the film honestly portrays how twenty-somethings in New York discover their ‘true selves’ and the turmoil this creates in their relationships and surroundings. Like the clock tower of the ‘Four-Faced Liar,’ their relationship is not about complete truth or eternal promises, but about the passion and sincerity of the moment.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★☆