India, Oct. 15 -- Verity - both the film and the book - have shades of the Indrani Mukerjea case. The very idea of a sociopathic, Machiavellian mother killing her own child elicits deep disgust. For Indians, this is possibly heightened given that, in this country, Maa is an emotion in herself. But readers of Colleen Hoover have probably learnt to cope. Now, director Michael Showalter has adapted Hoover's bestselling romance thriller into a 117-minute-long film with a weak second act and a third act so fast-paced that the film's major reveals barely sink in.

He makes some frustrating omissions that not only flatten the many nuances of the novel but also significantly dilute the weight of its darker themes. The lore behind the titular char...