The Teller and the Truth

2014· Mystery

For every missing person, there's a story. Within every story, lies the truth. The Teller and the Truth is the story of Francis Wetherbee, a beautiful, young bank teller who disappeared in 1974 after her car was found submerged in a river. Filmmaker Andrew Shapter (Before the Music Dies, Happiness Is) follows the forty-year-old cold case that sparked the imagination of her hometown of Smithville, Texas, and beyond. Did she drown? Commit suicide? Was she kidnapped? Or is there another answer? Shapter combines a documentary style with a classic narrative interpretation in order to separate myth from truth about Francis. Various theories and conjectures are weighed against the "facts" as they are revealed in old photographs, authentic footage from home movies, and actual Vietnam-era rare (and never before seen) historical footage. As new evidence is discovered, the film transforms into a narrative, as her words-which reveal the truth--come to life. A small-town mystery now becomes a global search for a woman who may still be alive.

Cast: Leilani Galvan, Russell Gustave Ochoa, Helena Stoddard, Diane Perella

Director: Andrew Shapter