The Truth About Emanuel

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The Truth About Emanuel is a 2013 American thriller drama written and directed by Francesca Gregorini. It stars Kaya Scodelario and Jessica Biel, with Alfred Molina, Jimmi Simpson, Aneurin Barnard, and Frances O’Connor. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was released in U.S. theaters on January 10, 2014.

Plot
Emanuel is a 17-year-old girl in Los Angeles who feels guilty because her mother died giving birth to her. She becomes involved with a neighbor named Linda, who looks like Emanuel’s mother. Linda has a baby named Chloe, but Chloe is really a doll. Emanuel keeps this secret as her friendship with Linda grows, even as she hides the truth from others.

Tensions rise during Emanuel’s birthday dinner with her father, stepmother, Linda, Claude (a man she knows), and others. Emanuel’s life becomes more complicated when Claude starts helping Linda, and she learns that her friend from work will be babysitting as well. A key moment comes when it is revealed that Chloe is not a real baby. Emanuel has disturbing visions of water and drowning, and she ends up on a hospital gurney after fainting.

Backstory for Linda is revealed: her real baby died, she blamed herself, and she began using the doll as a substitute. Linda’s husband later dies, and she disappears after a failed attempt to have her committed. Emanuel eventually helps Linda escape from the hospital. They go to the cemetery where Emanuel’s mother is buried, and Emanuel digs a grave over her mother’s tomb, burying Chloe there. The film ends with the two women lying in the dirt, looking at the stars.

Production and release
Rooney Mara was initially set to play Emanuel, but Kaya Scodelario ultimately took the role. Filming occurred in Los Angeles in early 2012. The movie screened at various film festivals and was released in U.S. theaters in January 2014.

Reception
The Truth About Emanuel received mostly negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it about 37% positive from critics. Some reviewers praised Scodelario’s presence, but critics often found the film’s blend of reality and fantasy unfocused or over-wrought. Francesca Gregorini earned some festival nominations and won a few smaller awards at film festivals.

Lawsuit
In January 2020, Gregorini filed a copyright lawsuit against Apple TV+ and the creators of the series Servant, claiming it copied The Truth About Emanuel. A federal judge later dismissed the case and ordered her to pay the defendants’ attorney fees. The case was temporarily revived by the Ninth Circuit in 2022 and, in January 2025, a jury cleared Shyamalan and the other defendants.