Strange But True Review: A Serviceable But Forgettable Thriller

Sometimes, the truth can be stranger than fiction. So goes the saying, and so goes the base premise for the new film Strange But True, which comes from director Rowan Athale (Revolt, The Rise) and screenwriter Eric Garcia (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Repo Men). The film is a low-key thriller that starts off as a mystery thriller before branching off into some…interesting directions.

The story follows a woman named Charlene (Amy Ryan) and her son Phillip (Nick Robinson), who are still broken recovering from the death of her son and his brother, Ronnie (Connor Jessup), five years later. Their already-raw feelings on the matter are reopened when Ronnie’s ex-girlfriend Melissa (Margaret Qualley) visits them, claiming that she is carrying his child. Of course, given that Ronnie has been dead for several years, this opens up a lot of questions, and what follows is a yarn that starts to get pulled from many ends.

It’s certainly an intriguing premise, and as soon as we are introduced to the core question of whether or not Melissa is crazy, using this family for some reason, or is simply confused, it’s hard not to conjure up your own theories of what’s actually going on here. And I think that’s what this film actually does fairly well. It gives us a question, and sort of leads us along on this interesting journey, along the way delving into the broken dynamic of this shattered family.

Margaret Qualley probably shines brightest in this movie, bringing great dimension to a character that could have felt one-note — and by all means, based on the script, should have felt one-note. But there’s a real unexpected warmth she brings to the character that makes the audience want to trust her, in spite of her potentially-crazy perspective on life.

While I wouldn’t say the rest of the cast is quite as good, I do think they bring extra life to the story that would otherwise be lost. Robinson does a solid job with his role of the broken brother, and Blythe Danner works well as the guardian-type figure for Melissa. Unfortunately, one character who does suffer is Amy Ryan’s Charlene, whose lines are mostly relegated to bitter reactions. While her role as the estranged mother makes sense in context, it does make her feel kind of counterproductive to where the story is going at times.

Regardless, all the actors do well with the material given. Director Rowan Athale does a solid job at creating atmosphere and tone, but some of that is kind of undone by the script. The concept is interesting enough, as mentioned above, and it does string you along well enough, but the answers it provides to the questions don’t really hold up for me. It isn’t the answers themselves that underwhelm, but for some reason, it kind of makes the rest of the story feel…thin. As though the implied depth give is proven to be nothing more than a sheet of ice over the ocean instead of an iceberg.

It’s not a bad movie, by any means, and all the moving parts are competent, but when all said and done, I was left feeling a bit empty inside, and a few hours later, I’d almost forgotten the movie entirely. It’s good enough to spend a couple hours on some evening, but I’m not sure it’ll have a lasting impression beyond that, which is a shame, given its hook.

Recommended if you Like: The Gift, Angel of Mine

FINAL GRADE: C+

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