L.I.E. Review
	I find myself watching the oddest movies lately and enjoying them immensely and L.I.E. is definitely among these.  Filled with controversy from beginning to end and a cast of flawed characters with very little to redeem them, this film quickly warmed my heart in a way I never thought a Disney-obsessed boy ever would.
		L.I.E. concerns the story of a boy who has recently lost his mother to an accident on the Long Island Expressway (L.I.E.).  His is not a happy story filled with an absently criminal father, a hustler in every way of a friend, and a pedophile who wants a little of what he deserves.  Pulled from all sides, you are quite sure if this boy will make it out alive, but he does not escape unscathed.
		Much in the same tone as Todd Solodonz's Happiness, this film attempts and succeeds in find a heart beneath these shady characters without sacrificing their vices.  You are never asked to completely like these people, but you are meant to have a better understanding of the opposite side of the story.  Paul Franklin Dano captures the main character's world with such compassion yet realizing what could be his eventual downfall and in the end, you can see where this could be any boy out there.  Brian Cox as Big John scares you at first and sometimes it's hard not being leery of him, but he translates the traditional line about the discovery of a pedophile in the news: "He always seemed like a nice guy."  In Cox, you want to completely hate him, but no matter how hard you try, you have to admire the role he takes in the young boy's life.
			This is not an easy film to watch for its subject matter, but it never tries to sensationalize the deeper issues with graphic depiction.  This is a film about these characters more than about what they do and therein lies its strength.  L.I.E. grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.  Whatever you may feel before you watch this film, when you leave it, your feelings will be different.  All you have to do is listen with your ears and with your heart.