The film marked the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which occurred on November 22, 1963. Bonham Carter earned her first Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance. Whaley had previously played an imposter of Lee Harvey Oswald in Oliver Stone's JFK (1991).[3]
Plot
The story focuses on Marina Oswald (Helena Bonham Carter), the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. Barely able to speak English, she is thrust into questioning by David Lifton (Robert Picardo). It portrays deep sadness, and explores the story of a woman ending up alone in a foreign country, subjected to considerable shunning, even after her remarriage.
The story is based on the widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President Kennedy. Via flashbacks, the story traces the woman's life from her days in the Soviet Union, the turmoil following the assassination, raising her family, and coming to grips with the fact that, she too, may have been a pawn in a grand conspiracy.
In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Howard Rosenberg wrote: "“Fatal Deception” appears to say nothing that hasn’t already been said ad infinitum during the nation’s nonstop dialogue concerning Kennedy and his assassination. All in all, it seems like just another bump on a very long log."[4] Drew Voros of Variety called it "a slow-mover for a topic that has been covered over and over again".[5]
