He lives with his parents Harry and Annie and his grandfather Zaida, a rag-and-bone man who collects rags and bottles on his horse, Ferdeleh, and wagon—while also studying the Talmud and claiming it as the only book he has read.

Harry, who is not religious, designs a pair of trousers meant to be impossible to crease, and appeals to Zaida for $500 in investment, claiming he already has many orders for the product and will be able to pay back with interest in one month.

When Harry demonstrates his "pressless trousers", his own business partner points out the bulges in the knees, spoiling any chance Zaida will invest.

Enraged, Harry rants about marrying into an unintelligent family, condemns Zaida as a miser and not a real Orthodox Jew, and says Ferdeleh should be killed.

Lies My Father Told Me was produced just a year before the CFDC's annual budget was increased to $25 million by the Federal Government of Canada.

Producer Harry Gulkin believes that the film's strong reception within the Jewish Mile Neighbourhood in Montreal is due to its considerable "local sensibility".

However, he states that in addition to this evident ability in capturing local communities, the film entails very basic, universal ideas and messages that are "recognizable to audiences everywhere".

[8] The film has been appreciated for providing a diverse, deep portrayal of Montreal, significantly contrasting with traditional depictions of "La Belle Ville".

[3] Jeffery Lynas, who makes his film debut in Lies My Father Told Me, has been acclaimed for portraying "innocence, love, and genuine conviction".

[5] The film has been described by the New York Times as not being about lies, but rather "the harsh truths the boy cannot understand or accept", in reference to Lynas' character.