Sandra Bullock made history in Netflix with ‘Blind’. The stimulating thriller, which will soon have a Spanish spin-off led by Mario Casas, was Netflix’s most-watched film in its premiere for 3 long years, as it happened just a few days ago was ousted by ‘Red Alert’. At that time, the promotional campaign for ‘Unforgivable’, his new collaboration with the streaming platform, had already started.
In fact, ‘Unforgivable’ is also the first film that Bullock has starred in since ‘Blindly’, marking the beginning of what promises to be a big comeback, because next year we can also see it in ‘The Lost City’ and ‘ Bullet Train ‘. To see those blockbusters we will still have to wait a bit, while ‘Unforgivable’ arrives on Netflix this Friday, December 10. Unsurprisingly, the actress excels at an intense drama but lacks the impact it seeks so eagerly.
In crops of nobody
Over the years we have seen many films with protagonists wounded by life, being more or less responsible for their current situation, everything being more or less aimed at discovering what happened then that left an indelible mark on the character main function. ‘Unforgivable’ is a new example of this, and also one not especially inspired.
I admit I am not familiar with the 2009 English miniseries adapted for the occasion by Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz and Courtenay Miles, so I do not know to what extent the fact of dosing that traumatic past is something inherited or has been taken out of the sleeve for the occasion. What I would dare to say is that ‘Unforgivable’ would have been more effective to reserve everything in a single flashback instead of dosing it throughout its footage.
It is a decision that subtract rather than add drama for various reasons. Mind you, the most important of all is not your sole responsibility, as there is something at all levels in ‘Unforgivable’ that feels too familiar. As if we had seen this movie before without what appears on the screen offers something to compensate for that factor.
Unsurprisingly, ‘Unforgivable’ is a vehicle for Bullock to show off, who knows how to move both within apathy and when fury seems to take over. Ruth Slater is a character that allows her to show her versatility as an actress, being also very well accompanied, but the film does not take advantage of having other well-known faces such as those of Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal or Viola Davis.
Monotony
Nor is it that the film focuses exclusively on Bullock, although ‘Unforgivable’ does have a character study part, as he does not quite know what to do with the rest. Some plots are left hanging, others are settled somewhat routinely and, in general terms, everything seems headed for a climax in which the intensity and drama proposed by the film reaches its peak. Or so he tries.
The point is that after a start that proposes several sources of interest in which the German director Nora fingscheidt knows how to give a certain rawness to the return to reality of the main character, ‘Unforgivable’ does not take long to lose gas, using the suspends in a failed way and not finishing hitting the key so that one really feels empathy with the emotional journey of its protagonist.
It seems as if there is some indecision about what is wanted to convey in ‘Unforgivable’. This coupled with the obvious that ends up being, even when it seeks to surprise the viewer with little fortune, ends up condemning her to monotony. Nothing insulting or ridiculous, but also not offering anything uplifting.
In short
I’ve seen quite a few Netflix movies worse than ‘Unforgivable’ this year, but it doesn’t mean that it ends up being a somewhat monotonous drama not achieved its goal to excite the viewer. Bullock does measure up, but beware, it is not one of those extraordinary performances that justify viewing.