In the majestic Sierra Nevadas, the picturesque town of Mammoth Lakes beckons tourists and nature lovers. In "Hidden Truth," the physical beauty of the region is contrasted with the sordid realities of the town where sinister forces lurk beneath the pleasant surface.
Young Zoe Niven is a bratty and ungrateful teenager, who takes for granted her kind Aunt Jamie, her guardian after the murder of Zoe's mother Layla. Her father, Pace Niven, is an auto mechanic and a former alcoholic, who was incapable of raising Zoe after Layla's death. Pace himself was the number one suspect in the case that went unsolved. The community still has its suspicions spinning around Pace.
Prior to her seventeenth birthday, Zoe confides in her friend Natalie that she has a "sponsor" and that she has nearly earned enough money to flee the town that she despises. When Zoe fails to show for the birthday party that Aunt Jamie had planned, the first thought is that Zoe has run away.
But, tragically, she has been murdered by her sugar daddy, Michael Evans, the proprietor of the local lodge and an investor in property. When Michael became abusive, Zoe threatened to blow the whistle on him to his wife Veronique, her aunt, the police, and anyone else in Mammoth Lakes who would listen. Instead, Zoe winds up at the bottom of the lake, just like her mother who was also killed by Michael.
The film was well-acted, especially the performer playing Aunt Jamie. The only problem with this well-crafted movie was that it was totally depressing!!! One of the interesting secondary roles was Veronique, Michael's long-suffering wife. Her character could have been fleshed out more completely because surely she suspected her husband was knee-deep in pathological behavior.
Even in the denouement, there was nothing to celebrate in the somber meeting of Jamie and Pace. The brother and sister can only reflect on the tremendous loss of their family members and the perpetual state of affairs in Mammoth Lakes that is constantly plagued by a case of the small town blues.