Millie Lies Low

Millie Lies Low is a 2021 New Zealand film. It is the first feature film directed by Michelle Savill, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eli Kent. The film stars Ana Scotney, Jillian Nguyen, and Chris Alosio. It premiered in 2021 at the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Premise
After missing her flight to New York due to a sudden panic attack, Millie decides to stay in Wellington and post fake updates to social media to convince others that she successfully took up an internship in New York City. Meanwhile, she spies on her friends to find out what they really think about her.

Cast

 * Ana Scotney as Millie
 * Jillian Nguyen as Carolyn
 * Chris Alosio as Henry
 * Sam Cotton as Scott
 * Karen O'Leary as Campus Security
 * Rachel House as Marlene

Production
In 2013, director and screenwriter Michelle Savill missed a flight from New Zealand to France, where she was supposed to attend the premiere of her first film, a short film called Ellen is Leaving. The experience gave her the idea to write a movie script around a character who handled the same type of situation differently. Filming began in Wellington in 2020, but was quickly suspended due to lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. With the support of the New Zealand Film Commission, filming resumed six months later at Wellington-area locations including Wellington Airport and Cuba Street.

Millie Lies Low had its world premiere at the COVID-delayed 2021 New Zealand International Film Festival. The following year, after the film had screened at festivals including SXSW and the Berlin International Film Festival, Reason8 sold the UK and Ireland distribution rights to Signature Entertainment and the US rights to Film Movement. The film was released in US theaters in 2023. Millie Lies Low grossed approximately US$50,000 across all theatrical releases.

Reception
, the film holds an approval rating of on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on  reviews by critics. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews by 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In The Guardian, Phil Hoad called Millie Lies Low a "shrewd and promising debut", reserving special praise for Ana Scotney's performance of the lead character. But the movie received a largely negative review in The New York Times, where Ben Kenigsberg also praised Scotney but criticised the film's plausibility, both in terms of Wellington standing for New York City, and in terms of the screenplay's treatment of the consequences of Millie's actions. Tara Judah of Screen Daily similarly credited the performance of Scotney, whom she called a "standout talent", but also criticised the film for focusing too much on Millie, thereby leaving supporting characters and narrative threads unexplored.