Live Escape

　　プロローグ
　　会社から帰ってきた主人公は隣のマンションのカーテンからこちらを覗く男に気付いてしまう。怖くなった主人公は警察に電話を掛けるが……。
　　第一話「甘い誘いは死へのいざない」
　　アパートに越してきたばかりの主人公は隣に住むカップルの立てる騒音に苛立ち、抗議と共に壁を思い切り叩く。翌晩、隣の部屋から喘ぎ声が聞こえてくるので壁に耳を当て聞いていると……。
　　第二話「雑音と無音の因果律」
　　駅のホームでイスに座り大音量で音楽を聴きながら電車を待つ主人公。その背後を、ホームで待っている人々は阿鼻叫喚の悲鳴と共になぜか次々と逃げ出すが、主人公はまるで気づかず……。
　　第三話「偽装された殺意の行方」
　　連続殺人のニュースを聞いた主人公。その時連続殺人犯とよく似た特徴を持つ男が火災報知機の点検にやってくる。部屋に招き入れるが……。
　　第四話「概念における誤解と真実」
　　近頃、誰かに見張られている気がしてならない主人公。常に近くで異音が響くのだ。友人らは「心配するな」と言うがどうしても気になる。そしてついに、その異音の正体が判明する……。
　　第五話「貪欲な愛情に起因する戦慄」
　　主人公はホテルにデリヘルを呼ぶが、やってきたのは写真とは似ても似つかない醜い女。チェンジだと追い返し別の女を頼む。数分後、再びチャイムが響くのだが……。
　　第六話「常識を逸脱した非情の結末」
　　会社までの道を歩いていると、謎の男が自分の横を速度を合わせてついてくる。逃げ切り横断歩道で待っていると、またその男が現れて……。
　　エピローグ
　　電話を掛けた数分後に隣のマンションに駆けつけた警察たちによって、こちらを覗く男は首を吊った死体だと判明し、驚きつつもほっとする主人公。しかしその死体の男は……。

　　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.

　　文革期间，女知青李纯(李凤绪 饰)来到了新鲜而陌生的傣乡插队落户，初来乍到对这里的风土人情和傣家话很不适应。多亏房东大爹（松涛 饰）和老奶奶(玉甩 饰)的关心照顾，看到傣家姑娘伊波（玉妲 饰）穿着漂亮的筒裙，姑娘与小伙子的对歌，自己衣着松垮破旧，与她们格格不入，也激起她爱美的心灵。于是穿上了用床单改成的筒子裙，戴上了耳环，变成了漂亮的傣族姑娘。受到了傣族姑娘们的赞美。在一次赶集时，遇到临寨的知青，开朗博学的任佳（冯远征 饰），之后他们慢慢成了好朋友。在全寨庆祝大丰收的夜晚，她跟任佳和村民们围着篝火戴歌戴舞。房东家的大哥（郭建国 饰）喝醉了酒，跟任佳打了起来。她才发现大哥爱上自己，因无法接受，决定离开善良的傣寨乡亲们，去了别的山区当了小学老师......