Strange But True

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Strange But True is a bit of a conundrum and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The movie is a film adaptation of John Searles’ novel of the same name and focuses on a large conundrum itself; making the title quite apt. Written by Eric Garcia and directed by Rowan Athale, the film is visually cohesive and easily digestible, which is great because the plot isn’t always so palatable. Featuring an all-star cast of established and pedigree actors like Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Blythe Danner, Brian Cox and the rising star that is Margaret Qualley – the film’s quality is elevated in such a way that it wouldn’t otherwise be successful. Strange But True is a head scratching, mysterious thriller with inconsistent writing and steadfast performances from the actors involved. A decent watch and one that will resonate with audiences after viewing, Strange But True has a lot for which to thank their cast.

The film opens at the climax as we watch young Philip (Nick Robinson) shooting through the woods – is he running from someone or to something? The answer doesn’t come quite so quickly and the film jumps to another time and another place. Here we meet a bereaved, incredulous, bitter Charlene (Amy Ryan) and are formally introduced to Philip – her son. Philip is on crutches and Charlene needs to be on mood stabilizers, which is certainly a different role for the typically hysterical Amy Ryan. Still, she’s convincing as a mother still struggling to accept the loss of her son Ronnie (Connor Jessup) while trying to connect with her other son Philip and…Ronnie’s girlfriend Melissa (Margaret Qualley), who is claiming to be pregnant with Ronnie’s child five years after his death.

Yes. It’s a lot to take in. The story and the conflicts within only snowball further, roots growing and spreading in every which way. Melissa’s foster parents Bill (Brian Cox) and Gail (Blythe Danner) are seemingly perfect, but there’s more to their story. Charlene’s career as a librarian ended after she abandoned her post for six months, but that doesn’t stop her from holding grudges against her former peers or her estranged ex-husband. Philip is determined to get to the bottom of Melissa’s supposed virgin pregnancy and his father Richard (Greg Kinnear) has secrets of his own – some involving Melissa. There’s a lot to keep track of! The movie has a lot of conflict to resolve in the midst of all the mystery – and to keep up with each storyline is sometimes too big a burden to bear. Even so, the cast handles their roles well; delivering sometimes weak dialogue with convincing vigor.

The latter third of the film is when it begins to lose its footing. Scene to scene, director Athale manages to stay cohesive with the movie, even with subtle tonal variations. However, towards the end when secrets are revealed the film nearly genre hops from pseudo noir to wacky thriller. Jarring as it is…it kind of works. Some could argue that the final abrupt tonal shift weakens the film, but it actually reinforces the very title of Strange But True.

Nothing in Strange But True makes sense, until it does. Audiences will leave this movie looking over their shoulders for unlikely stalkers. They’ll probably also feel compelled to keep their teenage children under lock and key for a while. That’s why Strange But True works, even when it stumbles. It still makes you feel something. It still makes you wonder, makes you question and makes you ruminate on what you might have missed while watching it.