SLEEPING DOGS LIE

An impulsive sexual encounter from her past haunts Amy, an otherwise seemingly normal young woman with a bright future and nice-guy fiancé. But her fiancé has suggested that the couple be completely honest and tell each other everything! When Amy finally relents, encouraged to tell the truth by her coworker and mother (neither of whom really knows what she has to disclose), and reveals her secret, all hell breaks loose. Longtime comic Bob Goldthwait has directed a wonderfully perverse tale that adeptly explores honesty, family, forgiveness, and courage. In building on its premise by frankly probing our relationships and idealization of the virtues of absolute honesty, Stay becomes as perceptive a romantic comedy as you will see this year. Outlandishly fun, edgy but centered, and sure to be one of the most talked-about films at the Festival, this is independent filmmaking at its best: raw, original, and edifying. Fueled by a standout lead performance by Melinda Page Hamilton, peopled with well-drawn characters, and infused with Goldthwait's very special sensibilities, this sparkling comedy underscores the truism that it doesn't take money to make a film that everyone wants to see.