The Unbelievable Truth

Writer-director Hal Hartley's first feature -- shot in less than 12 days in his backyard for a mere $200,000 -- is a dry and dark comedy about the dangerous undercurrents that exist below the surface of normal middle class existence. Over the credits, Josh (Robert Burke), a man garbed in black, is ...more

The dark comedy The Unbelievable Truth, Hal Hartley's low-budget debut feature, would set the tone for the next decade of this director's filmmaking style. Rapid-paced and monotone, the witty deadpan dialogue is the high point of this tale of an ex-con meeting a depressed teenager. While exposing the workaday eccentricities of Long Island townsfolk, Hartley reveals an underlying dark side to seemingly average characters. The close-knit cast and crew, the simple yet effective cinematography, and ...more