VERITY suffers due to its disturbing treatment.

Verity (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating

Director: Michael Showalter

Verity Movie Review Synopsis:
VERITY is the story of an aspiring writer who forms an unconventional bond with a bestselling author. Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) lives in New York and has published a couple of books. However, her books have barely found any readership. Her mother passed away due to cancer just a week ago and, to make matters worse, she is on the verge of being evicted by her landlord. At this point, Hachette Book Group approaches Lowen with an unusual assignment — to help bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) complete her next book, the much-awaited The Nobel Features. Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), is also present at the meeting. He charms Lowen and convinces her to take up the assignment in return for a handsome fee. Lowen agrees and moves to Verity and Jeremy’s remote lake house in Vermont. The couple lives there with their son, Crew (Brady Wagner). Their daughter, and Crew’s twin sister, Harper, died in a boating accident a year ago. Jeremy is grieving not only Harper’s death but also the fact that Verity is now in a comatose condition. Lowen, meanwhile, had not been informed beforehand about the severity of Verity’s condition. Lowen is tasked with going through Verity’s notes and completing the novel in her style. The process gradually consumes her, especially since Verity’s characters and writings are extremely dark. While going through Verity’s study, Lowen also comes across a tell-all manuscript written by the author about her marital life. It’s shocking revelations disturb Lowen even further. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Verity Movie Story Review:
VERITY is based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. The story is unconventional but also gets complicated. Nick Antosca’s screenplay keeps one hooked as the goings-on are pretty intense. At the same time, the happenings are difficult to digest and often gets disturbing. The dialogues are simple and effective.

Michael Showalter’s direction is average. To give credit where its due, the setting is eerie and captivates the audience. To see two popular actresses playing such difficult roles also adds to the fun. One constantly wonders what must have happened in the past and who’s guilty. The runtime is just 117 minutes, which is apt.

On the flipside, the initial portions often give a déjà vu of THE HOUSEMAID [2025], as here too, an unsuspecting woman arrives at a remote mansion, shares a cold equation with the wife and finds herself attracted to the dashing yet troubled husband. Thankfully, the film soon switches tracks and establishes an identity of its own. Even then, the proceedings get increasingly disturbing, and a few sequences are certainly not for the faint-hearted. The finale is not entirely convincing and, moreover, the film ends on an ambiguous note that is bound to leave even the elite viewers scratching their heads. As a result, VERITY is likely to appeal only to a niche section of the multiplex audience.

Verity Movie Review Performances:
The performances are very strong. Anne Hathaway is on a roll and, yet again, delivers a performance that stays with you long after the credits roll. Even in the scenes where she is in a coma, she makes her presence felt and comes across as suitably unsettling, as required by the part. Dakota Johnson, too, puts her best foot forward, and her deadpan expressions work well for the character. Josh Hartnett gets slightly overshadowed by the two leading ladies but still manages to register a strong impact. He is especially impressive in the first two sequences. Irina Dvorovenko (Anna) is decent, though her character is underdeveloped. Brady Wagner is endearing, while Ismael Cruz Cordova (Corey) is passable.

Verity movie music and other technical aspects:
Volker Bertelmann’s music adds considerably to the eerie atmosphere. Jim Frohna’s cinematography is breathtaking, especially in the Vermont portions. Amy Williams’ production design is classy and distinctive. Jacqueline Demeterio’s costumes are elegant and regal, particularly those worn by Anne Hathaway, while the costumes of the other characters are realistic. Jay Cassidy’s editing is slick and keeps the narrative moving at a brisk pace.

Verity Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, VERITY suffers due to its disturbing treatment, unconvincing finale and ambiguous ending. At the box office, it will face an uphill task, especially with stiff competition from DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION and THE DIGGER.