Lies My Father Told Me

Lies My Father Told Me

Year: 1975

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: English

Director: Ján Kadár

Drama

No one ever said it was easy being a child. A Jewish boy grows up in 1920s Montreal with a grandfather who tells stories and a father who won’t work.

Melancholic
Sad ending
Moderately emotional
Medium intensity
Slow pacing
Simple story

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Lies My Father Told Me (1975)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Lies My Father Told Me (1975). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1920s

The film is set in the 1920s, a period of postwar adjustment and urban immigrant life. Families wrestle with poverty, limited opportunities, and the pressures of maintaining tradition within a changing society. The era anchors the characters’ hopes, disappointments, and the social tensions that drive the plot.

Location

Montreal, Canada (Jewish ghetto)

The story unfolds in a tightly knit Jewish immigrant enclave of Montreal in the 1920s, where tenement-like homes and horse-drawn carts set the everyday rhythm. Zaida’s rag-and-bone business operates on the edge of the family’s doorstep, a small beacon of livelihood amid hardship. The neighborhood’s dynamics—neighbors, small businesses, and religious routines—shape the world David inhabits.

🗺️ Montreal 🕍 Jewish community 🏚️ Immigrant neighborhood 🚶‍♂️ Street life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

Main Characters – Lies My Father Told Me (1975)

Meet the key characters of Lies My Father Told Me (1975), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

David Herman (Jeff Lynas)

A six-year-old boy whose wide-eyed innocence makes him acutely aware of the lies and tensions around him. He admires Zaida and finds solace in their Sunday rides, yet he is deeply affected by the adults’ deceit and conflict. David’s perspective anchors the film’s moral questions about truth, loyalty, and growing up too quickly.

👦 Child 🧭 Observant 🏠 Family-centered

Harry Herman (Len Birman)

David’s father, a practical yet volatile figure who blindly pursues success. His harsh judgments of Zaida and his readiness to abandon ethical boundaries reveal a man stretched by pride and failing plans. Harry’s behavior triggers the central crisis and invites the audience to question what a father should be.

🧔 Adult 💬 Blunt 💸 Financial strain

Annie Herman (Marilyn Lightstone)

David’s mother, a steady, caring presence who endures the family’s hardships and childbirth with quiet resilience. She embodies the emotional center of the home, balancing economic anxiety with protective love for her children and husband. Annie’s role underscores the strength found in maternal care amid chaos.

👩 Parent 💪 Resilient 🫶 Family support

Zaida (Yossi Yadin)

David’s grandfather, a rag-and-bone man who rides a horse and reads the Talmud. Zaida is a source of tradition, humor, and quiet wisdom, contrasting with the economic pragmatism around him. His illness and death mark a poignant turning point that tests the family’s unity and David’s sense of security.

🧓 Grandfather 🕍 Faithful 🧭 Wisdom

Mr. Baumgarten (Ted Allan)

Zaida’s friend who embraces the ideas of Karl Marx as a way to end social class injustice. He represents a different path toward social change and offers a contrast to Zaida’s more faith-based outlook. His presence situates the film within broader debates about equity and community

👨‍🏫 Intellectual 🧭 Reformist 💭 Ideology

Mrs. Tannenbaum (Barbara Chilcott)

The nosy neighbor who complains about the horse’s smell and intrudes on the family’s life. Her reactions embody the social pressures and judgments that weigh on a tightly knit, working-class community. Her presence highlights the everyday friction that can escalate into larger conflicts.

👵 Neighbor 🗯️ Gossip 🧼 Social pressure

Uncle Benny (Henry Gamer)

David’s uncle, a familial presence who becomes a caretaker figure when Zaida falls ill. His involvement signals the importance of extended family in times of crisis and helps anchor David’s sense of belonging beyond his immediate home.

👨‍👦 Relative 🤝 Support 🧷 Family safety

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

Major Themes – Lies My Father Told Me (1975)

Explore the central themes of Lies My Father Told Me (1975), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🤥 Truth vs Lies

David’s world is derailed when he overhears his father’s hostile accusations and the “terrible lies” spoken about family. The film traces how adults distort reality for personal gain, leaving the child to sift through conflicting stories. Honesty becomes a fragile ideal as economic pressures and pride push characters toward deception and rationalization.

👪 Family

Generational tensions strain the family unit: Zaida’s old-world wisdom clashes with Harry’s pragmatic yet volatile ambitions, while Annie anchors the family with care. David’s reverence for Zaida contrasts with his father’s anger, highlighting the fragility and resilience of family bonds under pressure. The narrative centers on what a child learns about love, responsibility, and loyalty from the adults around him.

💸 Poverty and Survival

Set in a working-class ghetto, the story highlights how money—and its absence—shapes every decision. Harry’s failed business and the looming bankruptcy push the family toward instability, while Zaida’s stable life on the edge of legality underscores precarious livelihoods. Small acts of ingenuity and stubborn perseverance illuminate a community’s struggle to stay afloat.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:23

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Nostalgic childhood memoirs like Lies My Father Told Me

Poignant stories of childhood seen through a wistful, reminiscent lens.If you liked the heartfelt, child's-eye view of life in Lies My Father Told Me, discover more movies like it. These similar drama films capture the poignant, bittersweet feeling of looking back on youth, family, and formative experiences.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread are often linear recollections or memoirs, unfolding from a child's point of view. They focus on pivotal relationships—often with grandparents or parents—and explore themes of innocence, family conflict, and the first encounters with loss or disillusionment.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared ability to evoke a specific, wistful feeling of childhood. They prioritize emotional authenticity over complex plotting and use a gentle pace to soak the viewer in the atmosphere of a remembered past.

Quiet intergenerational stories like Lies My Father Told Me

Gentle tales of deep connections between the young and the old.Find more movies like Lies My Father Told Me that explore the special bond between a child and a grandparent. These similar films feature gentle pacing, emotional depth, and a focus on how elder figures shape a young person's world.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a central, nurturing relationship that provides stability and wisdom for a young protagonist, often contrasted with tensions from parents or the modern world. A key emotional beat is often the processing of grief or the enduring impact of this foundational bond after a loss.

Why These Movies?

These films share a core focus on the grandparent-child dynamic as the emotional heart of the story. They are united by a quiet, respectful tone, a slow pace that allows the relationship to breathe, and themes of legacy, tradition, and coping with mortality.

Unlock the Full Story of Lies My Father Told Me

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Lies My Father Told Me Summary

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Lies My Father Told Me Summary

Lies My Father Told Me Timeline

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Lies My Father Told Me Timeline

More About Lies My Father Told Me

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