隐藏摄像机

　　Contemporary Prague – social decay is inevitable. Prostitute Romi’s failures at work and elsewhere drive her to enthusiastically pursue other options. Is she heading for salvation or damnation? This courageous film from a director most often associated with box-office hits marks another shift in his varied creative career.

　　Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.
　　Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively – and simultaneously – complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot – culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)
　　As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.
　　The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).
　　Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.

　　34岁的乔治娜（海瑟·格拉汉姆 Heather Graham 饰）至今没有子嗣，并不是因为她不能生，而是她的丈夫扎克（汤姆·伊莱斯 Tom Ellis 饰）还没有做好做父亲的准备。因为孩子的事情，小两口没少吵架，这不，几天之前，扎克因为乔治娜的旧事重提而一气之下去了爱尔兰。
　　就在这个节骨眼上，乔治娜接到了医生的诊断，她竟然遗传了家族血脉里的疾病——“绝经期提前”，这也就意味着，她的体内只剩下最后一颗卵子，而她必须在短短的四天之内替这颗卵子找到精子。丈夫远在天边，心急如焚的乔治娜打起了眼前人的主意。乔治娜能够成功受孕吗？她和扎克之间的关系又将迎来怎样的结局呢？

　　群馬県の遊園地の売店でアルバイトをしている高校3年生の梅田ココアは、学校では成績優秀だが、家庭は貧しい。共に暮らすギャンブル狂の父・シゲルと、元漫才師でニートの兄・トキオの犠牲者だと感じながら生活しているため、自分の将来に希望が見出せないでいる。そんなココアには秘密が。学校とバイトの合間に、あるビデオ「クラッシュビデオ」に出演しているのだ。当初は、兄の元相方・カズオから無理やり頼みこまれて出演していたが、次第に本人も踏み潰す感触に快感を覚えた。あるときココアは、大学に特待生/奨学金という制度があることを知り一念発起して進学を目指すことに。数少ない友人のサクラは大学への進学を希望、もう一人の友人アイコは年上の彼氏と付き合っている中で妊娠が判明。ココアは2人と過ごしていくうちに自らの将来に希望を見出していく。そんな中、クラッシュビデオの出演が学校にバレて――。