The Unbelievable Truth

Date watched	January 16, 2026
Show Time	Morning
Theater	Home Video
Theater Number	Closet Computer
Pizza	No
Media	Online
Letterboxd Rating	**** (4.0)
Screen	1080p Computer

I wrote a long review and some thoughts about this movie, and when I read it back I realized I was trying too hard. I wanted to share how I felt about a movie, but somewhere in that process I started trying to sound like other people who write about movies online. That is not really my speed. Because of that, the last couple of posts probably came off as a bit pretentious, or at least not quite like me, and I want to own that.

One of my friends had The Unbelievable Truth in their watchlist on Letterboxd, and I thought the title sounded interesting. I like a good romantic comedy, and the blurb said it was an indie film and the first feature for Hal Hartley and Adrienne Shelly, who some people later referred to as his muse. That already felt like something I would enjoy.

Another actress who shows up in a lot of independent films from this era is Parker Posey, who worked with Hartley again in Amateur in 1994. Adrienne Shelly also deserved a much longer career. She died far too young, and there is an HBO documentary called Adrienne that looks at her life and death with some really strong interviews. I would recommend it if you like her work or want more context around her career.

So what is this movie about? A guy named Josh has been in prison for ten years and is returning home to rebuild, or maybe start building, his life. We learn that Josh went to prison shortly after turning eighteen. He kept his head down, did his time, and learned how to be a mechanic while he was inside. When he gets out, that is the skill he plans to use to find work.

While looking for a job in town and trying to find someone willing to hire him with his record, he stops into a secondhand store. That is where he meets Audrey. She is a seventeen-year-old high school senior who spends her time reading philosophy and is convinced the world is going to end soon, so school and work feel pointless to her. Her worldview is played for comedy, but it also lines up in interesting ways with Josh, who is also shown reading and thinking a lot about the meaning, or lack of meaning, in life.

There is a great scene where Josh explains his philosophy. Even though he and Audrey end up in a similar emotional place, the reasons behind it are very different. Josh feels that after having done something he once thought was impossible, surviving prison and coming out the other side, the rest of the system feels arbitrary and empty. They are drawn to each other, but Audrey’s father does not want them together. He pushes Audrey toward a modeling job in New York as a way to pay for college and put some distance between her and Josh. Did I mention Vic has a great look? Check out that mustache and the hair style is out of this world in a good way.

Over time, the family gets to know Josh better and starts to believe he is not a bad guy. Eventually, they even ask him to go to New York and bring Audrey home. This part is still the hardest for me to fully understand. Maybe it is because I am not a parent, but Audrey’s father Vic seems convinced that Josh is dangerous and a bad choice of partner for his daughter. Then, after talking with the other mechanic at the shop, Mike, he does a complete 180, gives Mike five hundred dollars, and asks him to go bring Audrey home. The suddenness of the change made me laugh. Mike comes to this conclusion after talking with Josh about his past relationships and realizing that he has deep emotional attachments to the women in his life. Both Vic and Mike briefly assume that Josh might be gay, and the way they talk about that possibility is a very telling snapshot of what acceptance looked like in the late 80s and early 90s.

I do think this movie is worth watching, but you do have to swap out your 2026 ideas for 1990 sensibilities at the door. The way men talk about women, and the way women are expected to behave, is clearly dated. The way sexuality is discussed is stiff and awkward. There is a moment where Mike presents himself as tolerant by saying he does not care if someone is gay, as long as they are not interested in him. It is played for humor, but it is also unsettling, because that kind of logic is often used to justify cruelty or violence.

Still, there are small details I liked. Seeing rotary phones used casually feels strange now, but also grounding. The movie is very much of its time, and it does not try to hide that.

There are a few re-curring bits that are fun. There’s a photographer who keeps asking women if they are a model or want to be one and Audry’s ex who keeps trying to fight people who look at her.