In the first decades of the 20th century, when life was being transformed by scientific innovations, researchers made a thrilling new claim: they could tell whether someone was lying by using a machine. Popularly known as the “lie detector,” the device transformed police work, seized headlines and was extolled in movies, TV and comics as an infallible crime-fighting tool. Husbands and wives tested each other’s fidelity. Corporations routinely tested employees’ honesty and government workers were tested for loyalty and “morals.” But the promise of the polygraph turned dark, and the lie detector too often became an apparatus of fear and intimidation. Written and directed by Rob Rapley and executive produced by Cameo George, The Lie Detector is a tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences.

Au début du XXe siècle, des chercheurs médiatisent une découverte passionnante : ils ont mis au point une machine capable de déceler le mensonge. Connu sous le nom de « détecteur de mensonges », l'appareil était présenté comme un outil infaillible de lutte contre la criminalité. Au lieu de cela, le détecteur de mensonges est devenu un outil de peur et d'intimidation.

A principios del siglo pasado, tres investigadores hicieron una impresionante afirmación: afirmaron poder detectar mentiras utilizando una máquina, el polígrafo o detector de mentiras. Este controvertido instrumento se promovió como una herramienta en la lucha contra el crimen, ofreciendo una alternativa a los métodos violentos de interrogatorio policial.