STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) is a recently paroled convicted killer, who returns to her hometown hoping to just quietly get by. Settling down in a rundown hostel, and securing a couple of low wage jobs, she liases with her parole officer Vincent (Rob Morgan) who keeps her in check. But Ruth has other matters to settle, returning to her old house where her fate was sealed, and crossing paths with the new residents, John Ingram (Vincent D'Onofrio), a custody lawyer, and his wife Liz (Viola Davis), who help her try to get back in touch with her estranged younger sister, Katie (Emma Nelson.) But many in the town won't forgive Ruth for her crime, and a plot to bring her down leads to a shocking revelation.
The medium of film allows for the chance for some awkward, uncomfortable stories to be told that, though offering little in the way of escapism or frivolity, do provide for some strong, unflinching human drama. German director Nora Fingscheidt's The Unforgivable would be one such example, a young, female director giving direction to an older, veteran Hollywood lady, completely stripping her of her glamour, and reimagining her as a haggard, damaged woman with all the hardships of life flung on her.
Fingscheidt delves straight in to the nitty gritty of her subject and subject matter, presenting a bleak, unglamorous story with very little in the way of humour and light. She compliments this with fittingly dull, grey lighting that fits the tone perfectly. In the lead role, Bullock reliably gives it her all, laying it on with both barrels as a hard assed, determined subject on the fringes of society, who has a lot of past to put to sleep, and complimented by a strong supporting cast, including Davis, D'Onofrio, Morgan and a slew of others. The one big comedown, aside from the lack of much light relief, is some improbability in the set up and how the plot line develops off the back of it, which unavoidably mars the proceedings somewhat.
If you're not expecting much in the way of humour and laughs, but can appreciate some raw, unflinching human drama with strong, powerful performances, then Fingscheidt's effort should be at least worth a watch. ***
Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) is a recently paroled convicted killer, who returns to her hometown hoping to just quietly get by. Settling down in a rundown hostel, and securing a couple of low wage jobs, she liases with her parole officer Vincent (Rob Morgan) who keeps her in check. But Ruth has other matters to settle, returning to her old house where her fate was sealed, and crossing paths with the new residents, John Ingram (Vincent D'Onofrio), a custody lawyer, and his wife Liz (Viola Davis), who help her try to get back in touch with her estranged younger sister, Katie (Emma Nelson.) But many in the town won't forgive Ruth for her crime, and a plot to bring her down leads to a shocking revelation.
The medium of film allows for the chance for some awkward, uncomfortable stories to be told that, though offering little in the way of escapism or frivolity, do provide for some strong, unflinching human drama. German director Nora Fingscheidt's The Unforgivable would be one such example, a young, female director giving direction to an older, veteran Hollywood lady, completely stripping her of her glamour, and reimagining her as a haggard, damaged woman with all the hardships of life flung on her.
Fingscheidt delves straight in to the nitty gritty of her subject and subject matter, presenting a bleak, unglamorous story with very little in the way of humour and light. She compliments this with fittingly dull, grey lighting that fits the tone perfectly. In the lead role, Bullock reliably gives it her all, laying it on with both barrels as a hard assed, determined subject on the fringes of society, who has a lot of past to put to sleep, and complimented by a strong supporting cast, including Davis, D'Onofrio, Morgan and a slew of others. The one big comedown, aside from the lack of much light relief, is some improbability in the set up and how the plot line develops off the back of it, which unavoidably mars the proceedings somewhat.
If you're not expecting much in the way of humour and laughs, but can appreciate some raw, unflinching human drama with strong, powerful performances, then Fingscheidt's effort should be at least worth a watch. ***