The Unbelievable Truth

The Unbelievable Truth follows Josh Hutton, who returns to his hometown on Long Island after serving a prison term for murder. The details of his crime are remembered differently by the people around him, and he struggles to move on. He finds work at a garage owned by Vic Hugo, who values his skill as a mechanic, and grows close to Vic's teenage daughter, Audry. Her father disapproves of the relationship, though his concerns shift as Audry begins to drift toward trouble of her own.

The film was written and directed by Hal Hartley, the first of his features and the start of a body of work that continued with Amateur, Fay Grim, Ned Rifle and Where to Land. Adrienne Shelly plays Audry, with Robert John Burke as Josh, Chris Cooke as Vic Hugo, and Julia McNeal, Katherine Mayfield and Gary Sauer in supporting roles. It runs 90 minutes and was produced by Action Features.

Made on a small budget and shot in a matter of days, the film reached a limited audience in cinemas. Its reputation has grown since: it holds a 6.8 rating from 133 votes on TMDB, while critics rate it higher at 7.6 from 11 reviews, a gap that suggests reviewers have long been more enthusiastic about it than the general public.