The Unbelievable Truth (film)


The Unbelievable Truth is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley 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.

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 he has re-entered her life, gives away all her earnings from exposing herself to her money-obsessed father and again offers herself to Josh, who this time is overjoyed too.

Cast

The Unbelievable Truth received overwhelmingly positive acclaim. Critics gave the film a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stands at a 7.3/10 on IMDb. The film stands at a 67 on Metacritic's Metascore. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 out of four stars.

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 for no disclosed reason. 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. Olive Films released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on May 14, 2013.