The Unbelievable Truth (film)

The Unbelievable Truth is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley[2] and starring Adrienne Shelly and Robert Burke. It tells the story of Audry, who dumps her high-school boyfriend and becomes a successful fashion model, but all along is in love with a mysterious man called Josh, released after conviction for manslaughter. He, after his experiences, is uncomfortable with relationships, but learns that he cannot stay an observer of life and must fight to win her. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in 1990 at the Sundance Film Festival. Along with Trust (1990) and Simple Men (1992), it is Hartley's first feature film and the first part of "Long Island trilogy" retrospectively.[3]

The Unbelievable Truth
Poster
Directed byHal Hartley
Written byHal Hartley
Produced byHal Hartley
Bruce Weiss
Jerome Brownstein
StarringAdrienne Shelly
Robert Burke
CinematographyMichael Spiller
Edited byHal Hartley
Music byJim Coleman
Production
companies
Possible Films
Action Features
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release dates
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75,000[1]
(estimated)
Box office$546,541

Plot

Back from prison to a small community on Long Island comes Josh, a sober young man whose crimes most cannot remember exactly, and finds a job at Vic's auto repair shop. Vic's daughter Audry falls instantly in love with him, only to be rejected when she declares her feelings because he is not ready for such a relationship and fears Vic's reaction. In revenge, she gives up the place she has won at Harvard and goes off to New York to be a photographic model, appearing first in lingerie and then nude.

Horrified, her parents send the reliable Josh off to the city to reclaim her, but he gives up in disgust when he finds she is living with her agent. Returning home, he meets the daughter of the man he is supposed to have killed in a struggle, who says she can testify that he is innocent. Audry, overjoyed that Josh has re-entered her life, gives her money-obsessed father all her earnings from exposing herself and again offers herself to Josh, who this time is overjoyed too.

Cast

Production

For the making of this film, his feature directorial debut, Hal Hartley said he was influenced by European art films, particularly those of Jean-Luc Godard, as well as by Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges.[4]

Reception

The Unbelievable Truth received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% rating based on reviews from 10 critics.[5] On Metacritic, it has a score of 67 out of 100.[6] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars.[7]

Box office

The film grossed $546,541 on a budget of an estimated $75,000.

Home video

The region 1 DVD was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment on March 11, 2001, but it has been discontinued.[8] The DVD contained the film's trailer and an interview with Hartley. Possible Films, Hal Hartley's company, released a 20th Anniversary DVD on October 19, 2010.[9] Olive Films released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on May 14, 2013.[10]

References
  1. Wood, Gaby (July 15, 2007). "The unbelievable truth". The Guardian. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. The Criterion Channel’s September 2023 Lineup|Current|The Criterion Collection
  3. The Cinema of Hal Hartley: Place, Cultural Identity and Indie Authorship - Sebastian Christopher Manley - Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of East Anglia, School of Film and Television Studies - June 2011
  4. Wood, Jason (2004). 100 American Independent Films. London: BFI. pp. 229–231. ISBN 978-1-84-457005-8. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  5. "The Unbelievable Truth (1990)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  6. "The Unbelievable Truth Review". Metacritic. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  7. Ebert, Roger (August 3, 1990). "The Unbelievable Truth movie review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  8. "The Unbelievable Truth - Releases". AllMovie. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  9. "The Unbelievable Truth 20th Anniversary DVD". Archived from the original on October 25, 2010.
  10. McQuain, Christopher (May 30, 2013). "The Unbelievable Truth". DVDTalk.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
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