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.
心动了，才会有高潮。
很好。预设心碎的小bitch是真的很男性piao客思维了。真身暴露对任何人来说都是冲击但实际上也不会造成伤害，反而是另一种刺激，接受再试探再努力真诚，伤害也会转化为活力。清单和贝基都很可爱。母子线很真实。汤普森也真是强。
太好看了！讲欲望但毫不低俗 确实没什么好羞愧的，从肉体满足甚至能上升到人生哲学讨论 人人都应得到愉悦
设计很精巧，我自己最被戳中的是第二次会面的时候她为他年轻健美的身体感到overwhelmed的那段。他邀请她跳舞时她的一半沉迷一半清醒也是不错的处理。最后一次的遇见学生和靠自己高潮稍微是有点太刻意了。面对镜子的裸体也是个技巧高超的结束，但就总是让人在这个片子里需要面对“太有技巧”这件事。
看似简单的对话戏，实则是心理戏，家庭戏，社会戏，呈现的内核很丰富，很大的思考空间能让人完全忽视场景的限制。表演很棒。
Good luck to you, you and you.
多么令人心驰神往，有时候一场性爱关系里最重要的不是正事，或许只是前戏的嘘寒问暖，也可以是后事时的真情吐露。
+ 转入人际的部分似乎回归英语片传统，部分消解了里奥所处的现实；关于工作和自我的部分亦显断裂。不论如何，关于身体和性 感的部分便已足够好——只是，为何要以最终实现的方式结局呢
男菩萨渡女苦主到达极乐彼岸的故事。这种唠闲嗑式电影会放大演技的瑕疵，如果表演不到位人物就立不住，故事里的张力和关系也都会不成立。但Emma Thompson 演得太好了！如果不是她，这个角色不会这么令人信服和共情。轻盈有趣，四星推荐。
concupiscence / 可惜说教感太重
Pressure pushing down on you and me.深入谈话和性爱都是一种释放，把自己最脆弱的地方交出去。
男菩萨渡女苦主到达极乐彼岸的故事。这种唠闲嗑式电影会放大演技的瑕疵，如果表演不到位人物就立不住，故事里的张力和关系也都会不成立。但Emma Thompson 演得太好了！如果不是她，这个角色不会这么令人信服和共情。轻盈有趣，四星推荐。
Whoa, whoa, whoa
慢火煮酒，余韵悠长。
“Sexual fulfilment is a powerful thing.” And surely we should all have it.
尽管还是一个规整的、还时不时以说教面貌示人的治愈系电影，但是设置了一个太有趣的前提，也终于如愿以偿地看到这样一个召妓的故事。艾玛·汤普森的裸体站在了《闪灵》浴室那个恐怖形象的对立面，站在了《X》那样悬崖绝壁般的危险地带以外，在我的脑海中留下了第三个经典形象，一个关于真实、互相尊重和自我理解的形象。而可惜的是前提太有趣就导致其后发展难以超越开头，冲突变成了叙事流程的必然一环，再搭配上呆板的音乐使用，最终还是在这么精彩的议题上诞生出了些许无趣。好在，电影埋下的解放性羞耻的种子，令人欣喜。
喋喋不休仿佛是艾玛·汤普森几十年的戏路，简直分不清是导演照着她写的剧本还是她让角色变成了这样的女人。故事的走向几乎可以预测，从单向的按摩到双向的打开，不过最后一幕还是让我小小地震颤了一下，女主角对着镜子和镜头褪下衣服，兀自欣赏起自己的身体——接受“愉悦”之后，悦纳自己才是终极的人生课题。
慢火煮酒，余韵悠长。
“Sexual fulfilment is a powerful thing.” And surely we should all have it.
Emma这个角色太像我认识的一位长辈了。太生动了。
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