Credit: Netflix

Few bonds are as visceral as those forged in school and college, where the highs are euphoric, and the lows are profoundly toxic. While Netflix offers a steady stream of movies celebrating the sentimental side of these friendships, Roommates stands out for its unflinching portrayal of the darker dynamics, expertly captured through the volatile friendship of Devon and Celeste.

In Roommates, Devon is a shy, first-year college student who unexpectedly becomes friends with Celeste, a bold, confident girl, during their outdoor orientation program. Despite their differences, Devon asks if Celeste wants to be her roommate, and they soon become inseparable. But just as fast as they grow friends, cracks also begin to show up in their bond.

As they navigate frat parties, new friends, and cutthroat academic lives, Devon starts noticing a lack of respect, privacy, accountability, and boundaries on Celeste’s end, who would not only portray herself as poor, forcing her roommate to book expensive flight tickets and hotels in Panama City, but also encroach on her private life. As if that’s not bad enough, Celeste also kisses Michael at the pool party in Panama City, fully aware of Devon’s feelings about him.

So, when Devon turns to a path of revenge, targeting Celeste with her project at WaltonCon, she ends up pulling back the curtain on her lies, including the fact that she never really belonged to a humble background. But why did she lie in the first place?

Why did Celeste lie in Roommates?

Devon’s presentation at WaltonCon in Roommates reveals that Celeste’s father is the CEO of Staples, alongside her roommates’ many other lies. And soon the situation erupts. Not long after the incident, Devon learns that someone exposed Alex’s personal life at school, and upon returning to her room, she discovers Celeste is nowhere to be found.

Alex informs Devon the next day that someone had spray-painted a message asking Peter to go to prom at his school, which made him a laughing stock. But since she had exams in the evening, she couldn’t check for herself. However, she does hear Celeste in Dr Schilling’s room, where she hears her saying that Devon liked a guy who liked her.

Despite the allegations, all Devon really wanted from Celeste was to show her bag. This leads to a kerfuffle, revealing the spray cans inside. While that’s self-explanatory, the argument evolves into a full-blown fight. As Celeste keeps fanning the flames, enraging Devon by all means, the latter, in an attempt to burn Celeste’s favourite poster, starts a big fire.

It is then that Celeste finally explains that her life is quite different from what she had portrayed so far. Her mother had Alzheimer’s, and her father eventually remarried a woman just two years older than her. And since Devon kept rubbing her perfect family throughout, she recreated a version of her family that allowed her more control, thus, the lies.