There Is One Thing Verity Does Better In The Movie Than In The Book That I Wouldn’t Have Expected
Verity has been one of the upcoming 2026 movies that I was most looking forward to watching. I didn’t love the book, but the film adaptation sparked my curiosity. It was one of Anne Hathaway’s must-watch 2026 movies. The film is the salacious, semi-erotic thriller that I wanted and expected.
It has some major changes from the Verity book, but I think it’s a pretty faithful adaptation. In fact, I think some parts of the book work better in movie form, including its discussion about being a writer.
Warning: Verity spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
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The Unreliable Narrator Works Even Better In Verity The Movie Because The Actors Sell It
Verity is a pretty engaging and entertaining audiobook. It’s definitely worth listening to before seeing the movie, but the story gets even stronger when you see Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett play Verity, Lowen, and Jeremy. Hathaway does such a good job playing Verity as this dubious figure that you remain unsure of what’s real, what’s fake, and most importantly, what’s the truth.
The Verity ending becomes so much stronger with Hathaway’s performance. Initially, you’re sure she’s some evil woman who kills for what she wants, but then seeing Verity’s reaction to Jeremy, you aren’t too sure if she’s as evil as she has portrayed herself in the manuscript.
Additionally, Dakota Johnson plays Lowen as a bit of a dubious character as well. We aren’t sure if we can trust everything she says either. She’s so seduced by Verity’s life. She may be telling the reader a story that makes her look better. The elements of the unreliable narrator always existed in the Verity identity, but they sing on screen. Don’t trust any of these characters and their accounts of things.
I Only Realized Jeremy Represents The Fan Experience Once I Saw The Movie
I didn’t draw a connection between Jeremy as a stand-in for the number one fan until seeing the Verity movie. He adores Verity when he first meets her, but then loses interest and even finds someone new to obsess over (Lowen). I think many authors experience having a big first fan who loves and adores them, only to eventually lose interest or fade away. They may even become a fan of someone with a similar writing style or subject matter. And transfer their parasocial obsession to the new subject. Fan love is often fleeting.
Verity’s desperation to keep Jeremy could be a metaphor for how some authors start to lose fans or readers and go through extreme measures to keep them. For most authors, that may mean writing stories to appease their readers more than themselves. Verity highlights the dangerous game between fans and a subject.
They need each other but shouldn’t be desperate to hold on to one another. Sometimes letting fans move on is the best way for authors to stay true to their art. That comes across better in the movie than in the book, or at least I drew the connection better in the movie.
Art is someone’s child. It’s their creation, and they bring it into their world, one way or another. Artists don’t always love what they create. For example, a successful first novel can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing.
People have expectations based on it. Verity sees her children as a curse, and that’s sometimes the consequence of art. It becomes something regretted more than loved.
