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Most of us have those mistakes from our past that we wish we could take back—but, for most of us, those past mistakes stay firmly in the past. We’ve been able to move on. But in The Unforgivable, one woman struggles to start over, knowing that she’ll never really be able to escape her past.
The Unforgivable begins as Sandra Bullock’s Ruth Slater is being released early from prison after serving 20 years for murder. Ruth is ready to return to society—even if that means living in a grungy boarding house and taking any job that she’s able to get. But while the criminal justice system says that she’s paid her debt to society, society doesn’t agree. The victim’s sons want their revenge, and they’ll make sure everyone knows what Ruth has done, making it impossible for her to start over and reconnect with the little sister who was taken from her.
Ruth does her best to keep her head down and stay strong, but it’s not easy—because no matter how what she does or how well she behaves, she can’t escape her past. Her story makes for a challenging one—because though you come to care about the character as you get to know her and the pain in her past, the reactions of the people around her are still understandable. But the other characters here aren’t developed nearly as well as Ruth is. Others show up in her life—from the still-grieving brothers to Katie’s new family. They all play a part in Ruth’s story, but their parts feel less sincere and more melodramatic.
The best thing about the film, then, is Bullock’s performance. During her 20 years in prison, Ruth has learned how to survive in difficult environments. She has a tough exterior—and she’s willing to fight if that’s what it takes to protect herself. But it’s clear that that’s not who she really is. Beneath the quiet demeanor and the stone-faced expression, there’s a woman who’s scared of what people will say when they find out who she is. She just wants to be able to live her life in peace, and she wants to find the one person who matters in her life—her little sister, Katie—and make sure she’s okay. Ruth is a complicated woman, but Bullock takes all of those difficult emotions and expresses them in every move, every expression. It’s the kind of performance that elevates the entire film.
Though the supporting characters fade a little too far into the background, this story of a woman’s strength and dedication is made even more powerful by its star. Sandra Bullock single-handedly makes this one worth checking out.
The Unforgivable is streaming on Netflix starting on December 10, 2021.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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