Not only do I write reviews but I also write fiction and love reading. I hadn’t read Verity but I’d heard about the film and was excited to see how a film about an author would translate to the screen. After watching the movie, I found the film had fantastic performances, the filmography was high quality but the story held no surprises for me.

Verity is a psychological erotic thriller directed by Michael Showalter, written by Nick Antosca and based on Colleen Hoover’s novel by the same name. In the story, Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) is a writer in financial straits needing work when she is contacted by Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), husband of best selling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). Lowen is hired by the publishers to help complete Verity’s work due to mysterious circumstances. When she moves into the family house, she soon learns that Verity was in an accident, leaving her paralyzed and unresponsive. Lowen discovers a hidden manuscript which leads her to question the reality of Verity’s psychological health and how it all links to her publications. 

One of the factors I found compelling was the discussion and interviews about writing sprinkled throughout the film. Much of the writing process is mentioned and while some of it is dependent on the particular author, much of it is believable and gives an honest view of a writer. In particular, I love the scenes where Lowen is organizing notes and material for the project. Many authors use handwritten journals and notes to help them keep track of their work. It was a beautiful view of how one author works.

I found what created the most intrigue was the performances. Dakota Johnson at the center of the film, gives a superb performance as Lowen, conveying the emotions of the character and creating tension just by her reactions to Verity and the manuscript. I like the tension between her and Josh Hartnett playing Jeremy. A romance between the two is believable as the film builds a friendship between the pair first. Josh Hartnett is excellent, creating a performance of a man haunted by grief. In the film, he and Verity have a son Crew, and he plays a loving father. The standout role for me is Anne Hathaway, however. Her performance is subtle, full of micro expressions that give little clues as to her true state. She plays both the fantasy woman playing in Lowen’s head and the real version, each a compelling performance. She is equally able to play a vibrant best selling author and a sick woman stuck in bed. Her performance is sublime. 

What baffled me is that while the filmography and performances are fantastic, the story itself is unsurprising and predictable. It is possible that as a writer I know too many tricks of the trade but from the very beginning, I knew the shape of the story and how it would develop. I even predicted the ending. And while I won’t drop spoilers here, that is surprising. Usually I find one or two surprises, especially in a thriller. While I was engaged in the story, especially to find out if my predictions were correct, I did find the predictability spoiled parts of the movie for myself. While I did love the lighting choices, the filmography and the performances, I would have liked more surprises in the story. 

If you are a fan of the book, I suspect that the high quality of the film and the performances will be enough to make you love this movie. Anne Hathaway is sublime in her performance and Dakota Johnson gives a believable performance as an author. Both women are skilled and their interactions are some of the most thrilling parts of the movie. Josh Hartnett is superb as Jeremy, warm, loving and haunted. I found all three performances compelling and fantastic. And while for me, the story is predictable, for others that may not be the case. I think the psychological elements are the best feature of the movie and that aspect will have you guessing the real truth behind Verity by the end of the movie.

Rating: 3.5 pages out of 5.

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