102 reviews
Pretty good until the last 10 minutes.
I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into detail, but this film was going along pretty well, with enough mystery, drama, character development, redemption, acceptance, relationship, family, love, etc, etc....very interesting concept and held my attention throughout trying to figure things out and what exactly happened. There were a few ways this could go and the film maker did a good job to showcase those avenues to keep things interesting and mysterious and leave plenty of room for a twist and surprise ending. Well the surprise was they basically ruined it all in the last 10 minutes using that old time tested and overused method of suspense, which frankly bugs the heck out of me, which is having characters make implausible decisions and do things that no normal, rational or even irrational person would do. The decisions and actions made by several characters in the ending scenes were just so implausible that I docked 1 star, being generous too. So this gets just a 6, watchable, but I believe it could have garnered 7, a fair movie, easily with just a little better writing when they wrapped things up.
Different thriller and scary in parts
This isn't a typical thriller. The cast is quite good even supporting cast so that should indicate that it's not a second rate show. It's different. Starts off like a psychological thriller. Then things become more crime drama with an unexpected villain. The conclusion is unexpected but at least doesn't leave you hanging totally.
Margaret Qualley is getting lots of good roles and she is quite watchable. Amy Ryan plays the bitter Mother and divorcee quite well.
Worth a watch.
Margaret Qualley is getting lots of good roles and she is quite watchable. Amy Ryan plays the bitter Mother and divorcee quite well.
Worth a watch.
- phd_travel
- Sep 7, 2019
- Permalink
Better than the rating suggests.
This is a solid movie. Slow in parts, but not too slow. It throws in a few surprises, but I saw many of those coming. Very few movies are truly original these days, but this film does a good job of repackaging what has come before. Can't complain about the acting and directing. It's solid enough for a film of this kind.
It's a decent little movie, which I would recommend.
It's a decent little movie, which I would recommend.
- rhcppepers
- Sep 24, 2019
- Permalink
What an engaging plot
This film tells the story of a woman who believes she carries the child of her dead boyfriend.
The plot is mysterious to start with, and then becomes very engaging and captivating. I really feel for all the characters, including the mother, father, brother, the girlfriend and the girlfriend's neighbors. Who would have thought the plot takes such a dramatic turn and becomes so touching. I really enjoyed this film.
The plot is mysterious to start with, and then becomes very engaging and captivating. I really feel for all the characters, including the mother, father, brother, the girlfriend and the girlfriend's neighbors. Who would have thought the plot takes such a dramatic turn and becomes so touching. I really enjoyed this film.
What does sudden loss to do a family?
Movie thrillers and mysteries usually revolve around a "McGuffin," an art of fiction set up to establish the plot and motivate the characters but which matters very little by the end of the movie. It's the trap the filmmaker sets to capture the audience to invest them in the story he/she wants to tell.
In this movie, the McGuffin is the mystery itself. The filmmaker doesn't ask us to believe that a ghost can impregnate a sad and grieving girl. Instead, it asks us to look at how loss can become grievance and become toxic, and what it takes to remember who and why we love.
Give it a chance.
In this movie, the McGuffin is the mystery itself. The filmmaker doesn't ask us to believe that a ghost can impregnate a sad and grieving girl. Instead, it asks us to look at how loss can become grievance and become toxic, and what it takes to remember who and why we love.
Give it a chance.
Can't even lie I actually really enjoyed that
- nathanmanson
- Jun 9, 2021
- Permalink
Well
- andreaweibley
- Sep 5, 2020
- Permalink
Far-tetched.
- samhill5215
- Aug 23, 2020
- Permalink
Promising first half, yet the second part of this movie is burdenend by a lot of far fetched implausible plot turns.
This movie starts out promising, because the mystery of why a girlfriend claims to be pregnant from her dead boyfriend 5 YEARS AFTER is intrigueing for sure. That is to say at the beginning...
The bad: this story has so many far fetched implausible plot turns piled on each other in the second part of this movie that it really makes it a bit of a disappointment to watch.
Not any good? Yes, the actor's are really good with true to life acting performances. The start is really good and promising. And however silly the many implausible plot turns are, for those who arent so critical it could be a nice thriller. But dont expect originality...
The bad: this story has so many far fetched implausible plot turns piled on each other in the second part of this movie that it really makes it a bit of a disappointment to watch.
Not any good? Yes, the actor's are really good with true to life acting performances. The start is really good and promising. And however silly the many implausible plot turns are, for those who arent so critical it could be a nice thriller. But dont expect originality...
Odd but interesting
STRANGE BUT TRUE is an interesting example of a film that has an amazing cast, an unusual & intriguing story...and yet doesn't really work.
It's not a spoiler to give you the basic premise on which the entire film rotates, because we're presented it within the first few minutes. Philip (Nick Robinson from LOVE, SIMON) is at home recuperating from a mysterious leg injury. He's been living on his own in NYC, but is at his mother's home in upstate NY to recover. Mom (Amy Ryan) is still angry and grieving and extremely bitter from the death 5 years ago of her older son (who died on prom night). She's so bitter than she drove away her husband (Greg Kinnear), now living with his new girlfriend in Florida. Into this scenario steps the older son's girlfriend Melissa (Margaret Qualley), who is very pregnant, and claims that the child is the long dead son's, because she hasn't been with another man since his death.
It sounds silly and almost like the start of either study of immaculate conception or perhaps something supernatural. But the film keeps things firmly rooted in the "real" world (real is quotes, because the plot takes some pretty crazy turns, all rooted in non-supernatural circumstances, but nearly has outlandish). Everyone seems to have secrets. Kinnear happens to be a fertility doctor...did he have something to do with this pregnancy? What part does an older couple (Brian Cox, Blythe Danner) play; they've taken Melissa in to live with them after mom essentially tossed her out. Is something going on there? What about the younger son? He's got some secrets, it seems.
And at the center of it all is the always terrific Amy Ryan. She's 100% convincing in her anger towards everyone around her and at circumstance. She's never found a place to put her grief and anger, so she lashes out sarcastically at everyone in her circle. She's totally convincing, and this makes it hard to care for her as a character in a fictional film. She's totally off-putting as well, hard to warm up to and ultimately hard to really empathize with. I appreciated her performance; I didn't love it.
The entire movie is interesting but never gripping. Scenes are presented in a way that clearly suggest emotional heft or are meant to be a serious examination of the all-too-short nature of life (and how we can't waste any time living it.) Yet I never felt any really strong connection to any character. And it's this connection (which is missing) that is needed to make the more thriller-like events of the latter portion of the film truly gripping. Instead, I was mildly amused at some of the unlikely plot twists and towards the end, my real feeling about the film was that a lot of solid performers signed up to participate in a film that must have looked great on paper, but somehow fails to truly resonate.
It's a briskly paced film, and that's a good thing. If you're not wrapped up in the characters, you want your plot points to come at a brisk pace, and they do. So STRANGE BUT TRUE is also ODD BUT INTERESTING. I have no regrets in seeing the film, but it also left no real lingering after image or strong emotion.
It's not a spoiler to give you the basic premise on which the entire film rotates, because we're presented it within the first few minutes. Philip (Nick Robinson from LOVE, SIMON) is at home recuperating from a mysterious leg injury. He's been living on his own in NYC, but is at his mother's home in upstate NY to recover. Mom (Amy Ryan) is still angry and grieving and extremely bitter from the death 5 years ago of her older son (who died on prom night). She's so bitter than she drove away her husband (Greg Kinnear), now living with his new girlfriend in Florida. Into this scenario steps the older son's girlfriend Melissa (Margaret Qualley), who is very pregnant, and claims that the child is the long dead son's, because she hasn't been with another man since his death.
It sounds silly and almost like the start of either study of immaculate conception or perhaps something supernatural. But the film keeps things firmly rooted in the "real" world (real is quotes, because the plot takes some pretty crazy turns, all rooted in non-supernatural circumstances, but nearly has outlandish). Everyone seems to have secrets. Kinnear happens to be a fertility doctor...did he have something to do with this pregnancy? What part does an older couple (Brian Cox, Blythe Danner) play; they've taken Melissa in to live with them after mom essentially tossed her out. Is something going on there? What about the younger son? He's got some secrets, it seems.
And at the center of it all is the always terrific Amy Ryan. She's 100% convincing in her anger towards everyone around her and at circumstance. She's never found a place to put her grief and anger, so she lashes out sarcastically at everyone in her circle. She's totally convincing, and this makes it hard to care for her as a character in a fictional film. She's totally off-putting as well, hard to warm up to and ultimately hard to really empathize with. I appreciated her performance; I didn't love it.
The entire movie is interesting but never gripping. Scenes are presented in a way that clearly suggest emotional heft or are meant to be a serious examination of the all-too-short nature of life (and how we can't waste any time living it.) Yet I never felt any really strong connection to any character. And it's this connection (which is missing) that is needed to make the more thriller-like events of the latter portion of the film truly gripping. Instead, I was mildly amused at some of the unlikely plot twists and towards the end, my real feeling about the film was that a lot of solid performers signed up to participate in a film that must have looked great on paper, but somehow fails to truly resonate.
It's a briskly paced film, and that's a good thing. If you're not wrapped up in the characters, you want your plot points to come at a brisk pace, and they do. So STRANGE BUT TRUE is also ODD BUT INTERESTING. I have no regrets in seeing the film, but it also left no real lingering after image or strong emotion.
- RMurray847
- Mar 7, 2021
- Permalink
unearned reveal
- SnoopyStyle
- Dec 17, 2020
- Permalink
An enjoyable noir-thriller about grief, belief and the things we keep hidden
This is newbie director Rowan Athale's second full length feature film (plus one short), and aside from a few technical errors and editing issues, he pretty much nailed it behind the camera and in directing his cast.
The film is an adaptation of the novel (I haven't read it) of the same name by John Searles, turned into a screenplay by novice writer Eric Garcia. The pacing started out decent, then slowed down midway, and felt dragged out towards the end, that the 96 min run-time felt longer. I wasn't a fan of the non-climatic stretch of cross-cutting time lines, and I felt the story would've been better told in the proper order.
Casting was excellent and all actors were convincing in their roles, especially Margaret Qualley, who was outstanding in her starring role.
The cinematography was on point, and the score perfect for this type of film.
For a low-budget B-grade film by unseasoned filmmakers, this was a surprisingly enjoyable noir-thriller about grief, belief and the things we keep hidden.
It's a recommended watch and a well deserved 8/10 from me.
The film is an adaptation of the novel (I haven't read it) of the same name by John Searles, turned into a screenplay by novice writer Eric Garcia. The pacing started out decent, then slowed down midway, and felt dragged out towards the end, that the 96 min run-time felt longer. I wasn't a fan of the non-climatic stretch of cross-cutting time lines, and I felt the story would've been better told in the proper order.
Casting was excellent and all actors were convincing in their roles, especially Margaret Qualley, who was outstanding in her starring role.
The cinematography was on point, and the score perfect for this type of film.
For a low-budget B-grade film by unseasoned filmmakers, this was a surprisingly enjoyable noir-thriller about grief, belief and the things we keep hidden.
It's a recommended watch and a well deserved 8/10 from me.
- Top_Dawg_Critic
- Sep 6, 2019
- Permalink
Guessing
This is one of those mystery tales that keeps you guessing as to why our young female is now pregnant from, she believes, her deceased boyfriend from five years ago. We are teased with several possibilities from the mysterious to the bizarre. Of course the answer as to what happened occurs in the final minutes so be patient as you guess who, or what happened.
- westsideschl
- Nov 9, 2019
- Permalink
Oh Greg Kinnear I hope the money was worth it
First, why are so many people asking who the father is? They make it perfectly apparent who the father is in the middle of the movie. Second, why do writers and directors refuse to have their characters call 911 or give them any common sense? This movie is just another stupid waste of time. Come on filmmakers, please create something smarter and better! And Greg Kinnear, I love you but damn.
- darthsteele-39338
- Sep 7, 2020
- Permalink
Engaging mystery turns into thrill-less thriller.
Not sure what happened here but it's an interesting case study.
This worst titled movie ever starts with a well-crafted, unpredictable mystery with just enough hints dropped to completely engage the audience and keep them guessing. All the way up until the final mind-blowing clue, the movie works.
And then that all goes away, and it's one contrived, cliched confrontation after another. Complex characters all become one-dimensional morons, and the movie degrades into mindless, forgettable action replacing thoughtful dialogue.
Great premise ruined at the end by amateurish, unnecessary "guns and blood!"
This worst titled movie ever starts with a well-crafted, unpredictable mystery with just enough hints dropped to completely engage the audience and keep them guessing. All the way up until the final mind-blowing clue, the movie works.
And then that all goes away, and it's one contrived, cliched confrontation after another. Complex characters all become one-dimensional morons, and the movie degrades into mindless, forgettable action replacing thoughtful dialogue.
Great premise ruined at the end by amateurish, unnecessary "guns and blood!"
- submachine
- Feb 1, 2020
- Permalink
Very good evening entertainment!
It's a noir-thriller about metaphysics and family matters (forgiveness, grief...)
Reminded me a lot the style and drama of a very recent movie Angel of mine.
A real glued- to- screen thriller with enormous suspense.
Enjoyed very much this you- just- don't- know- the- solution- until- the- end! This is a movie you have to watch VERY attentively, otherwise you wont get the answer. Dont go to the kitchen to search for food in the fridge!
A real glued- to- screen thriller with enormous suspense.
Enjoyed very much this you- just- don't- know- the- solution- until- the- end! This is a movie you have to watch VERY attentively, otherwise you wont get the answer. Dont go to the kitchen to search for food in the fridge!
Not bad
Pretty good movie, has some pacing issues but for the most part keeps your interest. Has some unexpected twists, thats always a good thing. Good drama/thriller overall, recommended.
- pensacolacomputer
- Sep 7, 2019
- Permalink
If you don't know who the father is or don't understand the movie.....
Then you didn't pay enough attention.
It bugs me when people give the movie low rating but their comments make it obvious that they didn't pay attention or missed major parts.
This was a slow burn at the beginning but once we found out who the father was it picked up and concluded very well.
The acting was great
over all
5.9
It bugs me when people give the movie low rating but their comments make it obvious that they didn't pay attention or missed major parts.
This was a slow burn at the beginning but once we found out who the father was it picked up and concluded very well.
The acting was great
over all
5.9
- natcalgary
- Sep 8, 2019
- Permalink
Pretty good
It was a pretty interesting story. It kept my attention. I wasn't expecting the big twist. It's worth watching.
- lashonda_kellem
- Sep 9, 2019
- Permalink
Utterly bad
Cool
Good ,enjoyable movie with a great twist.strange things cant happen.
- andymclovin
- Nov 3, 2019
- Permalink
Predictable but laughable
Much better than the bad reviews I read before watching it.
It's very believable. It's a situation that is plausible. It kept me entertained throughout the movie. I don't understand the bad reviews. Now I know not to believe the reviews. I was looking to be entertained and I was entertained.
- caesaro2001
- Oct 31, 2020
- Permalink
Slow Burn, Watchable, Yes, Re-watchable, No
The camera work, the acting, the script are all on par. The story is a slow burn that keeps it moving at a good pace, and they mystery all comes together at the end, definitely would recommend.
Frist half makes little sense - second half makes less sense!
We all know the premise i.e. girl shows up and tells mom/dad/son that she is
very pregnant with child from their first son who died five years earlier. She denies having had sex with any other man since his death and nonsensically neither offers not is asked for any 'details' supporting her seemingly outrageous claim.
To its credit, the script has the family discussing the possibility of their son's sperm having been frozen (99% unlikely for a young teen guy). There is no discussion of other ways a girl can get pregnant with no recollection of the sex act i.e. girl/woman drunk at bar-party and awakens next morning wondering what she may have 'done' last night.
Hence, the intriguing premise does not and can not work. It leads to a plot hole the size of Montana! Namely, available non-invasive pre-birth and/or DNA post birth testing to prove paternity.
The movie makes a big deal about the surviving son's leg injury which has nothing to do with the film's major plots.
None of the character are likeable.
Yes, there are twists and turns which for the most part make little or no sense.
The final editing of scenes, in staccato, time twisting, fashion was annoying and totally unnecessary.
Biggest 'plus'.... the girl is the best screamer ever!
To its credit, the script has the family discussing the possibility of their son's sperm having been frozen (99% unlikely for a young teen guy). There is no discussion of other ways a girl can get pregnant with no recollection of the sex act i.e. girl/woman drunk at bar-party and awakens next morning wondering what she may have 'done' last night.
Hence, the intriguing premise does not and can not work. It leads to a plot hole the size of Montana! Namely, available non-invasive pre-birth and/or DNA post birth testing to prove paternity.
The movie makes a big deal about the surviving son's leg injury which has nothing to do with the film's major plots.
None of the character are likeable.
Yes, there are twists and turns which for the most part make little or no sense.
The final editing of scenes, in staccato, time twisting, fashion was annoying and totally unnecessary.
Biggest 'plus'.... the girl is the best screamer ever!
- stevepat99
- Sep 6, 2019
- Permalink