Sacred Lies

Sacred Lies
Genre	Drama
Created by	Raelle Tucker
Based on	The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Starring	Elena Kampouris Kevin Carroll Kiana Madeira Toby Huss Ryan Robbins
Composers	Sonya Belousova Giona Ostinelli
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jason Blum Jeremy Gold Marci Wiseman Scott Winant Raelle Tucker
Producers	Alan McElroy Chris Dickie Jim O'Grady
Cinematography	Cynthia Pusheck
Editors	Kevin D. Ross Mark Hartzell
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	28–34 minutes
Production companies	Angry Annie Productions Blumhouse Television
Original release
Network	Facebook Watch
Release	July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27) – present (present)

Sacred Lies is an American drama web television series based on the novel The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes that premiered on July 27, 2018 on Facebook Watch. The series was created by Raelle Tucker and stars Elena Kampouris, Kevin Carroll, Kiana Madeira, Toby Huss, and Ryan Robbins.

Premise

Sacred Lies follows "a handless teen who escapes from a cult and finds herself in juvenile detention, suspected of knowing who killed her cult leader."

Cast and characters

Main

• Elena Kampouris as Minnow Bly, a young teenage girl and former member of the Kevinian cult. She emerges from the woods of Lolo National Forest after 12 years, now missing of both her hands. She is sent to the Missoula Youth Correctional Facility after attacking a schizophrenic teenage boy. Zoë Noelle Baker portrays a young Minnow Bly in a recurring role.
• Kevin Carroll as Dr. Alan Wilson, an FBI forensic psychologist that studies religious crimes, cults, and extremists groups. He struggles from alcoholism.
• Kiana Madeira as Angel Trujillo, an inmate at the Missoula Youth Correctional Facility and Minnow's roommate. She was incarcerated at the age of 12 and sentenced to serve 20 years after being convicted of murder.
• Toby Huss as Kevin Groth aka "The Prophet", the leader of the Kevinian cult who is killed under mysterious circumstances. He claims to speak with God whom he knows by the name of "Charlie". He hails from Hamilton, Montana where, when he was 2 years old, his father died. Six months later, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis though he was later cured. Eric Vincent portrays a young Kevin Groth in the episode "Chapter Four: God's Eyes".
• Ryan Robbins as Samuel Bly, a construction worker and Minnow's father. Dissatisfied with his family's living situation and struggling with a gambling addiction, he eagerly joins the Kevinian cult. He enjoys woodworking in his spare time.

Recurring

• Patti Kim as Sheriff Yolanda Harjo, the sheriff of Misoulla.
• C. J. Jackman-Zigante as Benny, a counselor at the Missoula Youth Correctional Facility.
• Leah Gibson as Vivienne Shroder, a prostitute and member of the Kevinian cult. She and Samuel Bly begin a relationship following the death of his wife.
• Zamani Wilder as Rashida, a member of the Christian clique of girls at the correction facility.
• Kathryn Kirkpatrick as Mrs. New, the Director of Facilities at Missoula Youth Correctional Facility where her job is to oversee the order and security of the center and monitor the health and well-being of all of the inmates.
• Shelby Armstrong as Hairnet Girl, an inmate at the correctional facility that serves food in the mess hall.
• Anja Savcic as Olivia Bly, Minnow's mother and Samuel's wife who is hesitant to join the Kevinian cult and later finds herself arguing with her husband over it. She is pregnant with her second child and concerned about giving birth outside of a hospital. She dies following the birth of her daughter Constance after suffering from blood loss.
• Jennifer Tong as Tracey, a member of the Christian clique of girls at the correction facility. She consistently attempts to get Minnow to join the facility's Christian youth group.
• Chanelle Peloso as Rose, a teenage girl from Pleasant Landing Trailer Park interested in comic books and resistant to joining the Kevinian cult. Her mother Dawn succeeds in forcing her to consort with the group and while out in the woods off Lolo National Forest she is violently punished for breaking the edicts laid down by the cult's leader, The Prophet.
• Curtis Caravaggio as Trevor, a military veteran and member of the Kevinian cult.
• Reese Alexander as Owen, the manager of Pleasant Landing Trailer Park and its only black resident. He doesn't join the Kevinian cult with the rest of his neighbors as he finds it clear that they do not want him due to his race.
• April Telek as Dawn, a nurse and member of the Kevinian cult. She brings her daughter Rose into the cult over her objections. Being a nurse, she helps to deliver Olivia Bly's daughter Constance. She ends up feeling a great deal of guilt over Olivia's death from complications endured during childbirth.
• Sean Owen Roberts as Heath, a member of the Kevinian cult.
• Katrina Law as Stephanie Bailey, the English teacher at Misoulla Youth Correctional Facility. The students in her class, "Reading is Fun-damental", include Minnow, Angel, and Rashida. She was raised in the foster care system and also coaches the correctional facility's basketball team.

Guest

• Myles McCarthy as Philip Lancaster ("Chapter One: The Handless Maiden"), a young schizophrenic man currently off his medication that is attacked by Minnow under a bridge and left with various injuries including broken ribs, a fractured mandible, and a ruptured spleen.
• Wesley Salter as Scott Nussbaum ("Chapter One: The Handless Maiden"), a member of the extremist group Army of Mercy who is interviewed by Dr. Alan Wilson. He killed a doctor who performed abortions and the man's wife.
• Olivia Steele Falconer as Nikki ("Chapter Two: Love Bomb"), an inmate at the correctional facility that bullies Minnow.
• Ari Solomon as Charlie Dunlap ("Chapter Four: God's Eyes"), a janitor at Kevin Groth's high school for over 30 years that was fired after reports of inappropriate behavior with students. He reportedly died of cancer not soon after his dismissal.
• Hannah Jane Zirke as Constance Bly ("Chapter Four: God's Eyes"), Minnow's younger sister and a member of the Kevinian cult.
• Daniel Diemer as Cole ("Chapter Four: God's Eyes"), a member of the Kevinian cult who has a crush on Minnow.
• Christina Jastrzembska as Mrs. Groth ("Chapter Four: God's Eyes"), Kevin Groth's widowed mother who holds her son in high esteem and believes that he was destined for a divine purpose.
• Duncan Ollerenshaw as Carl Groth ("Chapter Four: God's Eyes"), Kevin Groth's brother who harbors feelings of resentment towards him due to the fact that he was left to care for their mother alone.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Chapter One: The Handless Maiden"	Scott Winant	Raelle Tucker	July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27)
A 17-year old girl, Minnow Bly, is picked up under a bridge in Missoula, Montana by police after attacking a young man, Philip Lancaster, and nearly beating him to death. She is taken to the local sheriff's office and processed. After being moved to the hospital, Minnow is introduced to Dr. Alan Wilson, a forensic psychologist for the FBI investigating the cult she was allegedly a member of and the death of their leader. Minnow is charged with aggravated assaulted and given a disposition order for five years of incarceration with the possibility of parole on her 18th birthday. She is sent to the Missoula Youth Correctional Facility where she is expected to spend the first year of her detention. While there she is roomed with Angel, a juvenile delinquent who advises her not to trust anyone and keep to herself. Minnow meets with Dr. Wilson again where she makes a deal with him to divulge information about her former cult in exchange for a letter of recommendation towards her possible parole. Afterwards, Dr. Wilson goes to the site of the cult in Lolo National Forest. While investigating the area, he is knocked unconscious by a mystery assailant.
2	"Chapter Two: Love Bomb"	Scott Winant	Jenny Klein	July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27)
Mrs. New invites Minnow into her office where she presents her with a pair of prosthetic hands. Meanwhile, Dr. Wilson awakes in his car, still at Lolo National Forest, after Sheriff Harjo begins knocking on his door. Later, Minnow sits down with him and begins to tell him about the Kevinian cult. He visits what's left of Pleasant Valley trailer park and speaks with the only remaining resident. While out in the yard, Minnow throws her prosthetic hands in the trash, realizing they were only meant to make others comfortable around her. After gaining her confidence, he convinces Minnow to reveal who cut off her hands: her father. In flashbacks, a young Minnow is standing by a tree near her family's trailer. She is approached by a strange man whom her father says, "speaks to God." The man, referred to as "The Prophet". He speaks to a gathering of the trailer park residents and informs them that he does in fact speak to God, known to the man as "Charlie", and that he has been sent to them. Minnow's mother and father argue over whether they should leave. After Minnow intervenes, Olivia acquiesces and the residents arrive at the forest.
3	"Chapter Three : The Iron Slippers"	Everardo Gout	Lauren MacKenzie & Andrew Gettens	July 27, 2018 (2018-07-27)
Twelve years earlier, the Kevinian cult is beginning to establish their community when Minnow's sister is born. The Prophet declares that "Charlie" has named her Constance. During the birth, Minnow's mother Olivia suffers a great deal of blood loss. Minnow runs off into the woods where Rose reads her "Cinderella" from a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Minnow returns to discover her mother has died and The Prophet convinces everyone it is due to someone else's disobedience. Minnow turns over Rose who goes through a "cleansing" where she is forced to wear slippers made of iron heated in a fire. In present day, Dr. Wilson is led to a former cult member Vivienne, who is selling goods at an outdoor market. Vivienne implies that Minnow was responsible for the cult's demise. Back at the correctional facility, Minnow is assigned an English class taught by Stephanie Bailey, where she becomes anxious over her illiteracy. Later, Bailey and Wilson discuss Minnow over drinks at a bar. Eventually, Ms. Bailey gains Minnow's confidence and begins to teach her to read. Back at the bar, Dr. Wilson runs into Sheriff Harjo who informs him that Minnow is the prime suspect in a murder investigation.
4	"Chapter Four : God's Eyes"	Everardo Gout	Alan McElroy	August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03)
In a flashback, a teenage Minnow tells her younger sister Constance the story of how Kevin Groth first encountered "Charlie" and became The Prophet. That night, Minnow and Vivienne get into an argument after Vivienne begins to harshly chastise Constance. While serving her turn as a lookout for Charlie overnight, Minnow has a vision of her mother. In present day, Minnow and Dr. Wilson debate the veracity of The Prophet's teachings and how she believes that Charlie may still be real. Minnow and Angel have a discussion regarding religion wherein Angel explains her atheist beliefs and trust in science and logic. Minnows asks Angel to teach her science and she begrudgingly accepts. Dr. Wilson visits Kevin Groth's mother and brother who provide him with more information on his past. Minnow and Angel sneak out of their room with the help of Benny and view a meteor shower together. Dr. Wilson visits Kevin Groth's high school and learns that he may have been abused by a janitor named Charlie Dunlap leading to his subsequent behavior. He later returns to his motel room to discover that it has been ransacked and see Samuel Bly pull his car out of the parking lot.

Production

Background

Series creator Raelle Tucker has expressed how she was initially drawn into developing the series due to her own childhood experiences growing in up in a cult. During the 1970s, Tucker and her family were members of the Rajneesh movement and years later these events would inspire her to want to work on a project involving the subject of cults.

Development

On January 16, 2018, it was announced that Facebook had given the production, a television series adaptation of Stephanie Oakes's novel The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was set to be written by Raelle Tucker who would also executive produce alongside Scott Winant, Jason Blum, Marci Wiseman, and Jeremy Gold. Tucker was also set to act as the series' showrunner while Winant would direct the first two episodes. Production companies involved in the series were slated to include Blumhouse Television, a subsidiary of independent film company Blumhouse Productions. On June 23, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on July 27, 2018.

Series writer Molly Nussbaum has expressed the difficulty involved in the series' writing due to the time constraints imposed by Facebook. She explained how instead of viewing the limitation as an obstacle the staff saw it as a creative opportunity saying, "the 30-minute challenge really made us rigorous and smart."

Casting

On March 2, 2018, it was announced that Elena Kampouris, Kevin Carroll, Kiana Madeira, and Ryan Robbins had joined the main cast. A month later, it was announced that it was announced that Toby Huss had joined the main cast in a series regular role and that Katrina Law and Leah Gibson had been cast in recurring roles.

Filming

Principal photography for season one began on March 15, 2018 in Vancouver, Canada and was set to last until May 25, 2018.

Release

Marketing

On June 23, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On July 16, 2018, the full trailer for the series was released. From July 19 to July 22, 2018, during the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, the series was promoted through an escape room experience outside of Petco Park.

Premiere

On June 24, 2018, the series held a screening at Seriesfest, an annual international television festival, at the Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado. The screening was followed by a question-and-answer session with creator/executive producer Raelle Tucker, director/executive producer Scott Winant, Blumhouse co-president of television Jeremy Gold, and cast members including Kiana Madeira, Kevin Carroll, and Elena Kampouris. It was moderated by Facebook Watch's head of development, Mina Lefevre.

Reception

In a positive review, Variety's Caroline Framke offered the series praise saying, "With episodes running at an economical half-hour, Sacred Lies maintains a solid enough balance between withholding answers and laying groundwork for the mysteries ahead." In a similarly favorable critique, Paste's Alexis Gunderson lauded the series saying, "It is very artistic, not just in the color saturation, but in every shot of hands, fingers, and things that need hands and fingers to cross Minnow’s line of sight in the detention center—shots that would feel fetishizing were it not for the absolute opacity of thought with which the shrewd Minnow, who is never presented as an object of pity, regards them. It is absolutely artistic. It is also grim. It is also an active, challenging watch. It is, as far as I can tell, all the things everyone’s favorite dark prestige television is." In a more mixed assessment, The Globe and Mail's John Doyle offered the series restrained approval saying, "Sacred Lies is a good, multilayered drama, although the vaguely supernatural quality to Minnow’s past is milked a bit too hard." In an overall negative review, Indiewire's Ben Travers gave the series a grade of "C-" and criticized it saying, "This half-hour drama is ineffective in teasing its larger mystery, and its dialogue can be laughably blunt. Die-hard fans of the book may stick around to see how it all plays out, but that would take a level of commitment usually seen...in cults!"

Other media

Aftershow

The Official Sacred Lies After Show is a companion aftershow series that airs live after the release of each episode of the series. The series is produced by AfterBuzz TV and hosted by Juliet Vibert and Dakota T. Jones. Each episode runs between seventeen to fifty-three minutes in length.

No.	Episode(s) discussed	Guests	Original air date
1	"Chapter One: The Handless Maiden"	Raelle Tucker	July 29, 2018 (2018-07-29)
2	"Chapter Two: Love Bomb"	N/A	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)
3	"Chapter Three: The Iron Slippers"	Elena Kampouris	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)
4	"Chapter Four: God's Eyes"	Elena Kampouris	August 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)

Fatal Following

Fatal Following: The Truth About the Kevinian Cult is a companion true crime mockumentary series released exclusively on the series' official Facebook page. The series is done in the style of modern true crime docuseries and every episode delves into the background of a different member of the Kevinian cult. Each episode runs between two to three minutes in length.

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"The Vanishing of Olivia Bly"	July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30)
2	"The Sordid Past of Samuel Bly"	August 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)
3	"The Unstable Beginnings of Kevin Groth"	August 6, 2018 (2018-08-06)
4	"The Story of Vivienne Schroeder"	August 8, 2018 (2018-08-08)

External links

• Official website
• Sacred Lies at IMDb