Abhiroop Das
Created by Dorien Goertzen, ‘The Perfect Lie,’ or ‘De Eetclub,’ follows four couples who spend their days in luxury, until a single incident changes the course of their lives. Karen and her family, newcomers to this clique, initially struggle to adjust to a life of hedonism, but soon find enough comfort and camaraderie to forget their sorrows. In the process, however, a mountain of lies begins to slowly grow and displace the group’s dynamic, ultimately erupting with the tragic death of one of its members. As Karen and her friends struggle to make sense of their new reality and solve the mystery behind this death, the Dutch psychological thriller zooms in on the fragile nature of human relationships and the effect that sincerity, or the lack of it, can have on one’s psyche.
The Perfect Lie is a Work of Fiction Adapted From a Novel by Saskia Noort
‘The Perfect Lie’ is based on the fictional novel ‘De Eetclub’ by Saskia Noort, who drew inspiration partly from her own experiences and observations. In a 2004 interview with Peter Kuijt, Noort revealed that the idea for the novel came as a joke, back from when she had a club of friends much like the one in the story. One evening, when a friend asked whether she was writing another book and what she would call it, Noort replied with “De Eetclub,” which roughly translates to “the dinner club.” She also described it as a bit of a sour joke, as it came during a discussion about whether their real-life club should continue. At the same time, she also saw the potential in telling a story about how things might go wrong in such a setting. The Netflix adaptation, co-written by Dorien Goertzen, Jop Esmeijer, and Ilse Ott, retains the thematic implications of the novel while making slight alterations to the story along the way.
Noort pointed to another source of inspiration in an interview with Stefan de Vries, in which she recalled reading a newspaper item about an argument between people in a restaurant who were on a football club’s board. Intrigued, Noort began connecting it to the dinner club, and the result is the dramatic storyline we see. While the primary concept for ‘The Perfect Lie’ may have come from Noort’s own experiences as a member of a club, the storyline and characters themselves are completely fictional. In her interview, the author firmly stated that this isn’t an autobiographical tale, despite there being a few elements that are based on her own life. She then further distanced herself and her friends from the protagonist, Karen, and the supporting characters in the novel, explaining that comparing the two sides is going too far.
The Perfect Lie Draws From Saskia Noort’s Perspective on Women’s Friendships
While the premise of Saskia Noort’s ‘De Eetclub’ may have been constructed from scratch, her commentary on interpersonal relationships draws from her own observations and worldview. In particular, she wanted to highlight her take on women’s friendships and how they compare to friendships between men. Noort said she had written extensively about the subject in her columns at Marie Claire magazine, and was struck by what she considered the hypocrisy that could exist between women who were supposedly close friends. She then contrasted this with male friendships, stating her belief that men could be more superficial in their friendships but were often more loyal to one another.
These views ultimately became the foundation of Noort’s novel, in which she explores the darker, more dramatic possibilities that can arise from lies in any relationship. It is likely that the author put in a lot of research to analyze and write about how relationships function, especially in social settings where class differences, lifestyle choices, and a person’s psychological state all come into play. This is also maintained in ‘The Perfect Lie,’ which pursues the same thematic questions using the screen as a medium. Actor Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, who plays Simon, noted that the central conceit of the show is relatable, as people very often wear such masks.
Read More: The Perfect Lie: Who Pushed Hanneke? How Did She Fall?
