Plot: What’s it about?
Josh Hutton (Robert Burke) has just been release from prison after a stint for murder, so he heads back to his home town to begin his second chance at life. The people in his town have all sorts of memories of what his crimes, but most are blown out of proportion and as such, most of the townsfolk are scared of him. He might be an ex-con, but he is a natural with the tools and soon enough, he is working in a garage owned by Vic Hugo (Chris Cooke). It is there that he meets Vic’s teenage daughter Audrey (Adrienne Shelley), who is very intelligent, but also usually depressed about something or other. The two hit it off very well and of course, they soon start to fall in love, despite Josh’s mysterious past and Audrey’s uncertain future. It seems that Audrey has done some modeling work at her father’s request, but it turned out to be more risque than expected, which send Vic into a rage, of course. What will become of Josh, the possible mass murderer and Audrey, the potential supermodel, as well as the rest of this small town?
I’ve never cared much for the work of Hal Hartley, but I am pleased to see some of his work released on DVD, so I decided to revisit The Unbelievable Truth. I’d seen this a couple times before and while it is a solid movie, I’ve never understood why it is so acclaimed. I think Hartley’s direction is very weak at times, which ropes off the film at those times and that proves to be the anchor that keeps this movie tied to the ground. It has moments to be sure, but not enough of them and in the end, it just doesn’t measure up to similar efforts, even within Hartley’s own resume. The story unfolds at a nice pace and some of the performances are terrific, but Hartley is unable to keep it interesting and I usually like slower paced flicks, so it wasn’t the pace that killed it in this case. I think Hartley’s writing is good and perhaps if someone else would have been handed the director’s chair, The Unbelievable Truth could have lived up to the potential involved. It is a decent movie however, so if you’re interested, by all means give this disc a rental and see for yourself.
The main man here is Hal Hartley, who serves as writer, director, producer, and editor, which is a lot of hats to wear on a production, to be sure. I don’t think he really excels in any of the positions, but he remains solid in them all and that’s enough to deliver a good flick. I think his writing is his strength and his direction is his weakness, but he holds firm on the latter and manages to keep from making any serious errors, which is good news. I suppose you can’t expect perfection from a minuscule budget and eleven day schedule, but I think Hartley could have done better than this, especially in terms of his bland direction. The premise is good and his writing sometimes shows sparks, but his direction is unable to capitalize on those moments. Other films directed by Hartley include Simple Men, Henry Fool, The Book of Life, Trust, and Ambition. The cast here includes Adrienne Shelly (Sleep with Me, The Road Killers), Robert Burke (Robocop 3, Tombstone), Chris Cooke (Walls & Bridges, Small Kill), and Julia McNeal (Urban Legend, Shakedown).
Video: How does it look?
The Unbelievable Truth is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This film was shot on a shoestring budget and used lower grade film, so the image isn’t up to the usual standards, but it looks better than I expected. The main problem is the presence of grain, but I think Anchor Bay has done the best they could here, given the condition of the source materials. I didn’t see much in terms of debris or damage on the print however, which was a welcome surprise and on the whole, the rest of the elements come through in decent enough form. The contrast is limited by the lighting techniques used, but looks good enough and the colors seem a little muted, as intended. Again, this kind of movie is hard to present due to the lack of resources involved in the shoot, but Anchor Bay has issued the best possible transfer, I think.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track is a solid one, with only a few flaws present, none of which lessen the experience much. Again, the film’s low budget origins and overall nature prevent an immersive atmosphere, but this track seems to handle the basics, which is what counts. The music comes through well, sound effects are solid, and dialogue is clean and easy to understand from start to finish. You won’t be using this track to showcase your home theater, but it gets the job done and in this case, that’s enough.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a brief interview with director Hal Hartley, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
