Catalogue

Strange But True

Thriller
Available on VOD: 7 mei 2020
Director: Rowan Athale
Cast: Margaret Qualley (Seberg, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), Nick Robinson (Love Simon, Jurassic World), Brian Cox (Churchill, Succession), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, Beautiful Boy), Greg Kinnear (House of Cards, Anchorman 2 - The Legend Continues)

Ronnie Chase dies tragically on the night of the school prom while his girlfriend Melissa survives. Five years later, Melissa turns up at the Chase household to tell the surviving members of his family that she is pregnant with his child. Though sceptical, they find themselves trying to prove her right, compelled by the resurfacing of their grief, only to discover that the truth is much more terrifying than they could have ever imagined.

Reviews
  • HollywoodReporter.com: An atmospheric thriller with a noir-ish undertow and strong visual style, Strange But True puts a classy spin on familiar ingredients. The twist-heavy, logic-bending plot will test audience patience in places, but the whole package is handsomely crafted and rich in strong performances from a seasoned ensemble cast led by Amy Ryan, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner and Greg Kinnear.
  • NYTimes.com: The tale is a jolting one, and the superb players do justice to the emotional distress of its characters. But a surer directorial hand might have yielded a more resonant experience.
  • RogerEbert.com: It's a pleasure to watch a movie that's told in complete, self-contained scenes with beginnings, middles and ends, and that doesn't lean on constant editorializing music and exposition dumps to create the illusion of excitement. Athale and Garcia are going for a lean-and-mean approach, and it works well.
  • Bloody-flicks.co.uk: The starry cast is all excellent, as you would expect from such a lineup, but special mention should go to Amy Ryan who conveys Charlene’s anger and grief with absolute conviction. This is first-rate stuff, and well worth 90 minutes of anyone’s time.
  • Doblu.com: Strange But True provides a provocative examination of coping with grief and loss, only to evolve into a surprisingly taut psychological thriller. Rowan Athale's movie is cleverly sad and haunting with a capable cast.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: As the film digs into psychological stress, Athale crafts the sharp, unspoken parts of grief into shards that cut at his characters.
  • Filmintuition.com: Serving its phenomenal cast well as a strong dramatic showcase for the actors involved, Strange But True is anchored by that fiery trio and provides proof once again (and after the recent Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) that Andie MacDowell's daughter Margaret Qualley is the real deal.
  • Screendaily.com: Athale flirts with the visual language of horror even before the story takes a swerve into darker territory. A creepily photographed basement, the location of Blythe Danner’s laundry facilities, suggests that something malevolent is about to emerge into the story. And so it does – a truth so repulsive that it rapidly accrues a body count is launched into the action.
  • Nycmovieguru.com: a taut, provocative and moving psychological thriller.
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