After serving in prison for manslaughter, Josh (Robert John Burke) returns tohis home town looking for a job as mechanic, the profession that he learned in prison. Meanwhile, the teenager Audry (Adrienne Shelly) is accepted by Harvard, but her father Vic Hugo (Chris Cooke) cannot afford and suggests her to go to the community college. Audry leaves home, dumps her high-school boyfriend and stumbles upon Josh. Audry indicates her father Vic's auto repair shop and Josh find a job with him. Audry has an immediate crush on Josh, but is rejected by him that is afraid to lose his job with Vic. She decides to move to New York to be a successful photographic model. When her parents learn that she is posing nude, Vic sends Josh to New York to bring her back. But secrets are disclosed affecting the lives of Josh and Audry.

"The Unbelievable Truth" is a very low-budget romantic black comedy and the debut of Hal Hartley. The film is weird but entertaining, and in the 90's, when was released on VHS in Brazil, was funnier and better. Revisiting now, it is dated but also worthwhile watching. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Relação Muito Perigosa" ("A Very Dangerous Relationship")

Josh Hutton (Robert John Burke) leaves prison and returns into town. Pearl is shocked by his return. Audry Hugo (Adrienne Shelly) is a depressed cynical teen. She is accepted into Harvard but doesn't see the point of going. Her boyfriend is callous to her concerns. She suggests a mechanics job at her dad's garage to Hutton. Everybody starts to speculate what he actually did.

Hal Hartley has written some mannered and artificial dead pan humor. I actually like that but it has to be delivered expertly. The delivery is lacking from most of these actors and the directing is not quite there. I can see good potential for something great. Adrienne is not really young enough for the teen role. Her character could have been written as a twenty something. Overall, this is an interesting indie that could have been more compelling.

I didn't know anything about this film before finding it listed in the book of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it was rated rather average by critics, but I was hoping it would deserve the book placing, from director Hal Hartley (Trust). Basically Josh Hutton (Robert Burke) has been released from prison, having served time for murder, and he returns to his home town in Long Island, where no-one is sure about the details of his crime, whether the rumours are exaggerated, but they are certainly wary of him. Audry Hugo (Waitress actress and director Adrienne Shelly) lives in the town and already has a boyfriend in high school, but she soon meets Josh, dumps her boyfriend, and starts seeing him as her new mystery man, ignoring the tale tales of his manslaughter, he also finds himself a job as a mechanic working for Audry's father Vic (Chris Cooke). The relationship between them is anything but normal, not just because of Josh's crime being the talk of the town, but because Audry is a successful and sought after fashion model, and also she has high paranoia about big issues, such as the nuclear war and a forthcoming apocalypse, and in the end it is her modelling and travelling to New York that will ultimately break them up. Also starring Julia McNeal as Pearl, Katherine Mayfield as Liz Hugo, Gary Sauer as Emmet, Mark Bailey as Mike, David Healy as Todd Whitbread, Matt Malloy as Otis and Edie Falco as Jane - The Waitress. Burke is pretty good being mysterious, Shelly is interesting as the dissatisfied and odd girl, and together their on screen relationship plays out oddly but is part of what keeps you watching, I didn't find myself laughing all that much, I think it was the eccentric characters and peculiar conversations that kept me going until the end, an alright comedy drama. Worth watching!