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Incredible But True (2022) movie poster

Plot Summary

Incredible But True (2022) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2022 · 74 min · French
Echo score 76
Directed by
Quentin Dupieux
Starring
Léa Drucker, Anaïs Demoustier, Benoît Magimel, Alain Chabat, Grégoire Bonnet, Hiro Uchiyama
Budget
$4.3M

Alain and Marie’s peaceful life in the suburbs is disrupted when they discover a mysterious tunnel beneath their new house. The tunnel leads them into a strange realm where the lines between reality and fantasy become increasingly blurred, challenging their perception of the world and the life they thought they knew.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Incredible But True
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Incredible But True (2022)

Where can you watch Incredible But True? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Incredible But True: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Incredible But True (2022) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Alain, an insurance broker, embarks on a journey to find a new home in the suburbs of France alongside his wife, Marie Duval. Their adventure begins when the estate agent, Franck Chaize, unveils a peculiar feature of one property: a tunnel located in the basement that possesses the extraordinary ability to reverse a person's age by three days for anyone who dares to enter it, while simultaneously fast-forwarding time by twelve hours. Intrigued by this astonishing discovery, Marie's enthusiasm convinces Alain to go ahead with the purchase of this unique house.

Upon moving in, Alain decides to host his boss, Gérard, and his girlfriend, Jeanne, for a home tour. During this visit, Marie becomes engrossed with the tunnel, frequently utilizing its age-defying properties. The dinner takes a surprising turn when Gérard, under pressure from Jeanne, discloses an intimate secret—he has undergone a surgery to receive an electronic penis, which he hilariously controls via his smartphone. However, not long after, Gérard has an accident at the shooting range that causes damage to his unique appendage. This unforeseen circumstance prompts him to seek repairs in Japan, where the transplant took place, and leaves Alain in charge of softening the blow to Jeanne by claiming he is on a business trip. Meanwhile, Jeanne, who works at a bookstore, begins to make assertive advances towards Alain, leaving him in a compromising position.

As time progresses, Alain expresses skepticism regarding the tunnel's effects on ageing. To probe its capabilities, Marie brings a rotten apple into the tunnel. Amazingly, the apple emerges shiny and fresh, but upon Alain tasting it, he discovers it is crawling with ants. A subsequent trip to Doctor Urgent reveals that the tunnel only affects skin—internally, individuals remain unchanged in age, leading to a bittersweet realization for the couple. Marie confides in Alain her aspirations to become a renowned model, which fuels her obsession with reclaiming her youth.

The narrative continues as Gérard calls upon Alain to purchase a birthday gift for Jeanne. In a fateful incident, Alain encounters Franck, who cautions him about the health risks associated with the tunnel, recommending its use in moderation to prevent severe physical and psychological repercussions. The tension escalates when Alain witnesses Jeanne engage in an affair with an employee at her bookstore.

After a prolonged stay in Japan due to complications with his surgery, Gérard ultimately returns to France, but not without complications; he comes back with a new girlfriend, Mimi, leading to a series of romantic flops. As Alain and Marie argue over the tunnel's implications, Alain grows increasingly desperate to close it down.

The film takes a dark turn when Marie, having fully embraced the tunnel's power, emerges transformed into a 19-year-old version of herself. Despite her newfound youth, she faces struggles breaking into the modeling industry. In an alarming sequence of events, Gérard's electronic penis malfunctions while he is driving, leading to a catastrophic car accident. With Marie suffering from a severe emotional breakdown, Alain ultimately decides to seal the tunnel for good. However, in a harrowing revelation while hospitalized, Marie resorts to self-harm, uncovering that her body is overrun with ants—a shocking symbol of her inner turmoil and the unforeseen consequences of her attempts at regaining youth.

Last updated: December 03, 2024 at 14:27

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Plot questions answered

Incredible But True Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Incredible But True (2022): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

How does the tunnel in the house work?

The tunnel reverses a person's age by three days while simultaneously fast-forwarding time by twelve hours. This means if someone enters the tunnel, they emerge appearing three days younger, but twelve hours have passed in the real world. However, the tunnel only affects external appearance, it reverses skin age while the person's internal organs and biological age remain unchanged.

Foreshadowing: Franck initially warns Alain about health risks from overuse, hinting at consequences that later manifest.

  • tunnel
  • age reversal
  • time travel
  • supernatural house
Q2

Why does Marie become obsessed with staying young?

Marie confesses her lifelong dream to become a renowned model, which fuels her obsession with reclaiming her youth through the tunnel. The discovery that she can physically appear younger satisfies her deep-seated desire to pursue modeling success. This ambition drives her to repeatedly use the tunnel despite increasing warnings about its dangers.

Foreshadowing: Marie spends most of her time in the tunnel during Gérard and Jeanne's visit, showing her drawn to it from the start.

  • marie
  • youth
  • modeling
  • obsession
  • tunnel
Q3

Why does the tunnel only affect skin and not internal age?

Doctor Urgent reveals that the tunnel's age-reversing properties work exclusively on the skin, leaving a person's internal organs and biological systems unchanged. This creates a fundamental mismatch where someone can appear externally younger while internally remaining their true age. The couple realizes this limitation too late, as Marie has already become dependent on the tunnel's effects.

Foreshadowing: The rotten apple emerges shiny but is filled with ants when bitten into, an early warning that external appearance doesn't match internal reality.

  • tunnel
  • skin age
  • internal age
  • doctor
  • physical consequences
Q4

What do the ants represent in the movie's ending?

The ants symbolize the internal decay and corruption that has been festering beneath Marie's youthful exterior. When Alain bites the rotten apple after it passes through the tunnel, he finds it crawling with ants, foreshadowing Marie's fate. Her body becomes overrun with ants as a physical manifestation of her internal decay, representing how her obsession with external youth has destroyed her from within.

Foreshadowing: The apple test explicitly shows that the tunnel restores appearance but not substance, setting up the horrifying payoff.

  • ants
  • decay
  • symbolism
  • body horror
  • youth
Q5

Why does Gérard have an electronic penis?

Gérard represents the film's satirical exploration of modern anxieties about virility and perfection. His electronic penis, controlled via smartphone, embodies humanity's attempts to technologically control and enhance bodily functions. Like the tunnel, this modification ultimately fails catastrophically, his device malfunctions while driving, causing a serious accident. The subplot mirrors Marie's tunnel obsession as another flawed attempt to overcome natural limitations.

Foreshadowing: Gérard nervously admits to the transplant under pressure from Jeanne, establishing his vulnerability about masculinity.

  • gerard
  • electronic penis
  • technology
  • satire
  • masculinity
Q6

How does Marie become a 19-year-old?

Marie repeatedly uses the tunnel over time, each time emerging three days younger. Through continuous use, she physically transforms into a 19-year-old version of herself. Despite her youthful appearance, she struggles to break into the modeling industry, suggesting that external youth alone cannot fulfill her aspirations. This transformation sets the stage for her eventual psychological and physical breakdown.

Foreshadowing: Her frequent tunnel visits throughout the film gradually accumulate, building toward this dramatic transformation.

  • marie
  • young
  • transformation
  • tunnel
  • modeling
Q7

Why does Alain decide to seal the tunnel?

Alain witnesses Marie suffer a severe emotional breakdown and realizes the tunnel is destroying her. When she is hospitalized after cutting herself and doctors discover her body is infested with ants, Alain understands the tunnel has caused irreversible damage. Driven by love and desperation, he makes the painful decision to permanently close the tunnel, ending their obsession with youth reversal.

Foreshadowing: Alain grows increasingly desperate to close the tunnel as Marie's behavior becomes more erratic and her reliance on it intensifies.

  • alain
  • tunnel
  • seal
  • closing
  • desperation
Q8

Why is Marie hospitalized at the end?

Marie is hospitalized after cutting herself, revealing that her body has become overrun with ants, a horrifying consequence of her tunnel obsession. Her physical transformation into a 19-year-old masked severe internal decay. The ants emerging from her body represent the tunnel's corrupted effects finally manifesting internally. This disturbing discovery marks the tragic conclusion to her pursuit of eternal youth.

Foreshadowing: The rotten apple scene establishes that the tunnel restores appearance while hiding internal corruption.

  • marie
  • hospital
  • ants
  • self-harm
  • decay
Q9

What causes Gérard's car accident?

Gérard's electronic penis malfunctions while he is driving, catching fire and causing a serious car accident. This bizarre incident stems from complications arising from his surgery in Japan, which already required an extended stay for repairs. The malfunction serves as the film's dark comedic payoff to the electronic penis subplot, reinforcing the theme that technological attempts to transcend natural limitations lead to disaster.

Foreshadowing: Gérard initially travels to Japan for repairs after an accident at a shooting range damages his electronic appendage.

  • gerard
  • accident
  • electronic penis
  • malfunction
  • car
Q10

Why does Jeanne cheat on Gérard?

While Gérard is in Japan for repairs to his electronic penis, Jeanne works at a bookstore and begins making advances toward Alain. Eventually, Alain witnesses Jeanne engaging in an affair with one of her coworkers at the bookstore. This betrayal adds another layer to the film's exploration of failed relationships and imperfect people, complementing the central theme of couples struggling with their desires and limitations.

Foreshadowing: Jeanne's assertive advances toward Alain begin during Gérard's absence, establishing her restlessness.

  • jeanne
  • affair
  • bookstore
  • gerard
  • betrayal
Q11

Why does the rotten apple have ants inside after the tunnel?

When Marie places a rotten apple in the tunnel to test its effects, it emerges looking shiny and fresh. However, when Alain tastes it, he discovers it is crawling with ants inside. This moment foreshadows Marie's fate, the tunnel restores external appearance while corruption remains hidden beneath the surface. The ants represent the internal decay that the tunnel cannot fix, only mask.

Foreshadowing: This test directly leads to their visit with Doctor Urgent, who confirms the tunnel only affects skin.

  • apple
  • ants
  • tunnel
  • test
  • foreshadowing
Q12

Who is Mimi and why does Gérard bring her back?

Mimi is Gérard's new girlfriend whom he brings back from Japan after his extended stay for electronic penis repairs. The film presents this as another in a series of romantic complications for Gérard, who previously asked Alain to help manage the situation with Jeanne. Mimi's introduction further develops Gérard's character as someone whose relationships are as technologically assisted and ultimately flawed as his physical modification.

Foreshadowing: Gérard initially instructs Alain to tell Jeanne he is on a business trip, suggesting he planned to return with someone else.

  • mimi
  • gerard
  • japan
  • girlfriend
  • return

Movie threads

More Movies Like Incredible But True, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Incredible But True tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Suburban Uncanny movies like Incredible But True

Ordinary lives unravel after a bizarre discovery in a domestic setting. If you liked the way Incredible But True disrupted a peaceful life with surreal horror, you'll find similar stories here. These movies explore the dark side of suburbia, where bizarre discoveries lead to existential crises, blending dark comedy with unsettling psychological themes.

  • surreal
  • unsettling
  • existential
  • darkly comedic
  • anxious
  • satirical
  • Tone: dark, satirical, unsettling
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically begin with a state of normalcy that is disrupted by an inexplicable event or object. The narrative follows characters as their curiosity turns to obsession, revealing their deepest insecurities and leading to a gradual breakdown of their psyche and relationships, often with a bittersweet or bleak resolution.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared setting of domestic normality invaded by the surreal, a steady pacing that builds dread, and a darkly satirical tone that critiques modern anxieties. They create a cohesive experience of existential unease rooted in everyday life.

Movies about the cost of supernatural desire like Incredible But True

Characters gain a magical power only to find it comes with a devastating price. For viewers who enjoyed Incredible But True's exploration of a time tunnel's devastating consequences, this thread collects movies where a supernatural gift becomes a curse. These stories focus on the heavy emotional weight and bittersweet endings that follow attempts to cheat reality.

  • bittersweet
  • existential
  • heavy
  • consequential
  • supernatural
  • obsession
  • Tone: bittersweet, dark, heavy
  • Pacing: steady, consequential
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves the discovery of a supernatural solution to a profound human problem, such as aging or regret. The characters' use of this power initially seems beneficial but soon exposes their flaws and escalates the stakes, resulting in severe consequences that fundamentally change them and lead to a somber, reflective ending.

Why they belong together: This thread connects films through a core plot mechanism—a supernatural MacGuffin with a cost—and a shared emotional journey from desire to despair. The combination of fantasy elements with heavy, bittersweet conclusions creates a distinct and coherent viewing experience about the dangers of getting what you wish for.

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Every angle

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