Sandra Bullock usually plays lovable or triumphant characters. Her new movie, The Unforgivable, shows her acting talent in a new light. She plays a down-and-out character recently released from prison. She shines in this new role in a different manner from her typical character.
At first, moviegoers might be put off by her new role in this movie. It takes some adjusting to understand who we are seeing. Typically we think of her as someone on the winning side or figuring out how to get to the winning side.
But this role is the exact opposite. She is an unforgivable person. We will find her playing a new character who has done something truly terrible. The rest of the movie deals with her life struggle as a result of her actions.
The Unforgivable, recently released in theaters on a limited basis on Nov. 24, will be available worldwide on Netflix starting on Dec. 10. If you can't see it before then in a theater, you will find the movie worth watching on Netflix.
Although not anything like her last blockbuster, Gravity, in 2013, this movie may not make her blockbuster star like that film did. But it sheds new light on her acting ability, especially since by the end we tend to believe that she deserves what has happened to her.
But, as always, there is a twist, and it is not obvious, nor apparent until the end. Moreover, her attempt to seek redemption and connection overwhelms us. We want her to achieve this, despite the obstacles put in her path.
This also marks a milestone for Nora Fingscheidt, a bright new German director and screenwriter. In addition, the screenwriting credit goes to three experienced writers, Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, and Courtenay Miles. In addition, the music score from the beginning was enthralling, done by Hans Zimmer and David Fleming, including a piano concert that one of the characters plays on the piano.
The Solace in Depression Movies
The Sandra Bullock character is depressed but she is moving ahead with her life. She stumbles and finds herself in trouble again. She has to dig her way out through the grit.
In a way, the film makes us think about life, even though we are going to the movie to escape life. I recently wrote an article about the effect that movies about grief and depression can have on the viewer. I think these types of films are slowly gaining a following.
For example, Robin Wright's latest film, Land, portrays a woman who has lost everything, sort of like what Sandra Bullock's character has in this film. The movie takes us through her recovery. But Sandra Bullock's movie isn't about recovery - it's about survival. Survival before recovery.
Another similar film with a woman who has lost everything is the 2017 Western film, Hostiles. Rosamund Pike expertly plays a woman who sees her whole family massacred, and spends the rest of the film recovering through a journey.
We see Sandra Bullock's journey in the Unforforgivable, but it is the path of survival and acceptance of her past choices. Or is it? The ending presents us with something we weren't expecting, and it gives us a deeper sense of her journey of seeking forgiveness.
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