*Verity* is a domestic thriller starring Dakota Johnson as Lowen, a struggling novelist hired to complete the books of Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway, who is unable to speak or move after a car accident. At Verity’s home in Vermont, Lowen finds a disturbing manuscript and grows close to Verity’s husband, Jeremy, played by Josh Hartnett. The review says the film begins as an entertaining, knowingly melodramatic mystery but loses its appeal when the plot’s revelations arrive.

The Hollywood Reporter critic argues that the twists raise too many unanswered questions, leaving the story frustrating rather than suspenseful. The film is directed by Michael Showalter and adapted by Nick Antosca from Colleen Hoover’s novel; the review criticises both the source material’s prose and its mystery plotting. Early comic touches include celebrity interview cameos and scenes of Lowen procrastinating, but the critic says the cast and director cannot overcome the story’s problems.