---
title: "sex, lies, and videotape"
year: 1989
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape"
fi1m_id: "sex-lies-and-videotape"
imdb_id: "tt0098724"
tmdb_id: 1412
wikidata_id: "Q1367548"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:55.088973+00:00"
region: "AR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# sex, lies, and videotape (1989)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 41m · Drama

## Identity

sex, lies, and videotape

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** sex-lies-and-videotape
- **IMDb ID:** tt0098724
- **TMDB ID:** 1412
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1367548
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098724/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1412, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1367548

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 82 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* A lawyer, his wife, her sister and a drifter with a camcorder; the drifter is the honest one

> Steven Soderbergh’s first film puts four people in a Louisiana house, adds a video camera, and lets them talk themselves into trouble. It is small, exact and quietly funny, and it has kept; only the technology has aged.

## Synopsis

Ann Bishop Mullany lives in a well-kept Louisiana house with her husband John, a lawyer. She tells her therapist she has lost interest in sex and lies awake worrying about the world’s rubbish. John, meanwhile, is sleeping with Ann’s sister Cynthia, who has no patience for Ann’s tidiness. Into this arrives Graham Dalton, John’s friend from college, passing through town with a car, few possessions and a video camera. Over lunch he tells Ann that he cannot perform sexually, and that he records women talking about their sex lives. James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher and Laura San Giacomo play the four; Ron Vawter is the therapist. Steven Soderbergh wrote, directed and edited.

## Review

Steven Soderbergh wrote, directed and edited his first film, and it shows, in the sense that nothing in it seems to be there by accident. Ann (Andie MacDowell) tells her therapist (Ron Vawter) she has stopped wanting sex and has started worrying about where the rubbish goes. Her husband John (Peter Gallagher), a lawyer, is sleeping with her sister Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo). Into this drives Graham (James Spader), John’s old friend, with one bag, a camcorder and a habit of answering questions truthfully. *sex, lies, and videotape* is a small film that has lasted: 101 minutes, four rooms, a great deal of talk, and it earns its 15 certificate with barely a bare shoulder.

Soderbergh the editor is the first surprise. The opening lays Ann’s therapy session over pictures of Graham driving into town and John undressing in Cynthia’s flat, so that three lies are under way before anyone has said a false word. He keeps doing it: a conversation starts in one room and finishes over the faces of the people it is about. It costs nothing and it does most of the film’s work, because we always know one thing more than whoever is speaking.

Spader plays Graham almost motionless, hands folded, voice pitched just under conversational. He tells Ann he is impotent the way another man might mention hay fever, and the comedy comes from watching MacDowell take it. She plays Ann as a woman who has ironed herself flat and is beginning to notice the creases; her small starts of alarm are the funniest thing in the film. Gallagher gives John the ease of a man who has never been caught at anything and does not believe he is the sort who gets caught. San Giacomo’s Cynthia is the only one of the four with an appetite and no shame about it, and she gets the best lines. Vawter listens with a patience that is itself a form of judgement.

Walt Lloyd shoots the Mullany house in low, warm, lamp-lit tones, blinds down against the afternoon, so that it looks comfortable and slightly short of air. The tapes, when we see them, are the opposite: grey-blue video, soft at the edges, a single face in a chair. Cliff Martinez’s score is a handful of quiet electronic figures that arrive between scenes and leave before anyone speaks. It never tells us what to feel, and in a film about people who cannot say what they feel, that is the right call.

The scene that got us comes early. Ann finds Graham’s shelf of tapes, each labelled with a woman’s first name, and asks what is on them. He tells her. We laughed at her alarm, and then, as he went on explaining in that even voice why he does it, we went cold and stopped laughing. Nothing is shown. The film’s method is to keep the camera on the person listening, and it is a good deal more unsettling than any of the sex the title promises.

Not all of it holds. The therapy scenes say out loud what the rest of the film is already showing, and by the third of them we wanted Vawter to put down his notepad. The film’s faith that telling the truth into a lens will do you good is stated more tidily than these people deserve. The second half takes a turn we will not describe; it resolves things a little more neatly than the first hour led us to expect, and some critics at the time thought the whole thing came down to homilies about honesty. We think that undersells how much the film distrusts Graham, who is its most honest character and its most damaged. But the homilies are there.

Soderbergh went on to bigger and busier films, [*Out of Sight*](https://film.one/film/out-of-sight) (1998) and [*Traffic*](https://film.one/film/traffic) (2000) among them, and several are better. None is more certain of exactly what it is and how long it should take. Watch this one with someone you have been with for a long time, and try not to look at each other during the lunch scene.

*Fi1m score 83, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

With only 3 reviews in so far, the reviews lean warm but the spread is wide. Most critics take it as an unusually assured debut, praising Soderbergh’s script for its patience with adultery and voyeurism, and the performances for feeling like people rather than positions; several single out the video camera itself as a character. Some note the technical limits of a low budget without minding much.

The one clear dissent comes from The New Yorker, which grants the film its polish and its knack for tension from small materials but finds it a triangle drama with a minor kink, arriving at platitudes about honesty and feelings.

## Straight answers

**Is sex, lies, and videotape worth watching?**

*sex, lies, and videotape* is worth watching for anyone who likes a small, talky drama in which four people slowly give themselves away, and we scored it 83. Steven Soderbergh's first film is exact, quietly funny and has kept well; only the camcorder has aged. The therapy scenes spell out what the rest already shows, and the ending is tidier than it needs to be.

**How long is sex, lies, and videotape, and what is it rated?**

*sex, lies, and videotape* runs 1h 41m. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch sex, lies, and videotape in Argentina?**

*sex, lies, and videotape* is not on any streaming or rental service in Argentina at the moment. It is available in 15 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is sex, lies, and videotape, and is it suitable for children?**

*sex, lies, and videotape* is a 15 certificate with no violence and almost no nudity; the title promises more sex than the film shows. It is unsettling rather than frightening, mostly because it keeps the camera on people listening to frank talk about sex and dishonesty. It is not for children, and younger teenagers would find it slow; it suits adults who like watching conversation do the work.

**How does sex, lies, and videotape compare to Certified Copy?**

*sex, lies, and videotape* and [*Certified Copy*](https://film.one/film/certified-copy) are both films of people talking their way into doubt, but Soderbergh's is the tighter and funnier of the two, four people in one Louisiana house over 101 minutes. Kiarostami's is a stranger, more taxing romance that asks more patience for what it gives back. Start with Soderbergh if you want a story; go to Kiarostami if you want an argument.

**What should I watch after sex, lies, and videotape?**

After *sex, lies, and videotape*, try [*Closer*](https://film.one/film/closer) (2004, Fi1m 63): Four Londoners, two couples, every honest sentence used as a weapon. Then [*Certified Copy*](https://film.one/film/certified-copy) (2010, Fi1m 84): Kiarostami lets a man and a woman walk and talk until we doubt who they are.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (4/4): The review lauds the Criterion restoration of Soderbergh's debut and its themes of media as both connection and alienation. It praises the film's controlled austerity, sensual completeness, and interrogation of truth versus performance. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/sex-lies-and-videotape/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film the funniest and saddest American movie in years and possibly the most compelling, praising its elegant revelation of contemporary sexual afflictions and tranquil spell. Soderbergh’s manner of pushing characters into deeper psychological waters is highlighted as a key strength. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-04-ca-522-story.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a penetrating, moving, and darkly funny independent feature that offers witty but touching insights into modern relationships through its characters' inner workings. They single out the layered performances, particularly those of Peter Gallagher, Andie MacDowell, Laura San Giacomo, and James Spader. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sex-lies-and-videotape-1989-sundance-review-1235782791/)
- **The New York Times**, Caryn James (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Soderbergh’s debut as an astonishing, richly layered tale of sexual greed, fear, love and betrayal that surpasses its advance praise. Graham’s video camera is singled out as a central player in this intricate dance of truth, self-denial and deception. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/04/movies/review-film-a-dance-of-sex-and-love-through-a-lens-darkly.html)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (90/100, inferred): The review praises the film as a sexy, nuanced, beautifully controlled examination of erotic impulses and inhibitions. It highlights the absorbing conversations about sex and the strong production values despite the low budget. [Read](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/sex-lies-and-videotape-1200427853/)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (85/100, inferred): The review celebrates the film's impact on indie cinema while praising its compact, idea-packed story of sexual and emotional dysfunction in Baton Rouge. It singles out James Spader's enigmatic performance and the film's prescient take on technology and intimacy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/steven-soderbergh-began-his-career-with-wins-at-sundanc-1798243331)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film startling in its handling of taboo subjects like adultery and voyeurism through 1980s technology, and startlingly competent as a debut that won the Palme d'Or. The believable characters and Soderbergh's intriguingly intellectual script are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sex-lies-videotape-review/)
- **IndieWire**, Max O'Connell (80/100, inferred): The piece revisits Soderbergh's debut as a landmark indie that launched careers and reshaped Sundance and Miramax. It highlights the film's intimate, talky exploration of sex, lies, and emotional disconnection. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/criticwire-classic-of-the-week-steven-soderberghs-sex-lies-and-videotape-125996/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film intelligent and never boring but more clever than enlightening, with more intelligence than heart. He singles out the performances of James Spader and Andie MacDowell and the way conversation becomes erotic. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sex-lies-and-videotape-1989)
- **Time Out**, GA (70/100, inferred): Soderbergh's debut is impressively mature, focusing on the gap between actions and motivations rather than sensationalism. The strong performances and perceptive dialogue make it intellectually and emotionally stimulating. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sex-lies-and-videotape)
- **The New Yorker**, Terrence Rafferty (50/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a smooth, handsome first feature that generates psychological tension from very little, essentially a triangle drama with a minor kink. It ultimately reduces to dubious truisms about honesty and getting in touch with one’s feelings. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1989/08/07/lies-lies-and-more-lies)
- **Paste**, Jonah Jeng (90/100, inferred): Soderbergh subverts the libidinous trappings of sexed-up cinema to expose souls in pain and the psychology behind erotic impulses, turning apparent archetypes into dysfunctional individuals seeking real intimacy. The film respects characters' privacy by not showing the climactic sex act, making a case for intimacy as too personal to be fully captured on camera. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/square-one-steven-soderberghs-sex-lies-and-videota)
- **Collider**, Thomas Butt (85/100, inferred): Soderbergh's debut is a prescient examination of sexual anxiety and its ties to media that rejected glossy 1980s aesthetics and captured Generation X aimlessness. It kickstarted the 1990s indie boom while remaining relevant for its portrayal of repressed intimacy and voyeurism. [Read](https://collider.com/sex-lies-and-videotape/)
- **Consequence** (80/100, inferred): The film is described as one of the quietest splashes in Hollywood history and a psychologically driven indie that eschews sleaze for a more thoughtful experience. It spearheaded the independent film movement of the 1990s and laid groundwork for later auteurs. [Read](https://consequence.net/2018/03/steven-soderbergh-in-five-films/)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a hugely impressive first feature that launched the independent film craze and won the Palme d'Or. She singles out the strong script and performances for praise while noting technical limitations from its low budget. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sex-lies-and-videotape-1989-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (80/100, inferred): The film was instrumental in launching the modern independent film scene, boosting Sundance, elevating Miramax's marketing strategies, and launching Soderbergh's career. Its success model helped define the indie film's potential for critical acclaim and financial returns. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/legacies-steven-soderberghs-revolutionary-sex-lies-and-videotape-25-years-later-20140123/)

## Details

- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Director:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Writer:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Cinematography:** Walt Lloyd
- **Editor:** Steven Soderbergh
- **Music:** Cliff Martinez
- **Producer:** John Hardy, Robert Newmyer
- **Cast:** James Spader as Graham Dalton; Andie MacDowell as Ann Bishop Mullany; Peter Gallagher as John Mullany; Laura San Giacomo as Cynthia Bishop; Ron Vawter as Therapist; Steven Brill as Barfly; Alexandra Root as Girl on Tape; Earl T. Taylor as Landlord
- **Runtime:** 1h 41m
- **First release (the US):** 20 January 1989
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 1989)
- **Budget:** $1 million
- **Box office:** $25 million

## Where to watch in Argentina

Not streaming, renting or buying in Argentina at the last check.

Also available in: BE, BG, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, NL, PT, RS, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1990: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated)
- Cannes Film Festival 1989: Palme d'Or (won)
- Sundance Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic 1989: Sundance Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic (won)

## If you liked this

- *Peeping Tom* (1960): Michael Powell’s man with a camera; the same idea, thirty years earlier and far nastier.
- *Scenes from a Marriage* (1973): Bergman’s two people talking a marriage to death, in rooms, for hours.
- *Carnal Knowledge* (1971): Nichols and Feiffer on men who cannot stop talking about sex or enjoy it.
- *Closer* (2004), Fi1m 63: Four Londoners, two couples, every honest sentence used as a weapon. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/closer.md)
- *Certified Copy* (2010), Fi1m 84: Kiarostami lets a man and a woman walk and talk until we doubt who they are. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/certified-copy.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape