Una
(2016)Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (Carol) tracks down the man who sexually abused her as a teen in this psychological revenge thriller co-starring Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).... More
"Rooney Mara is the titular Una, and Ben Mendelsohn is Ray, the neighbour who sexually assaulted her when she was 13. A decade later, Una tracks Ray down in search of answers - but she doesn't find the ones she's searching for. Uncomfortable with the path she's set out on, but unable to change course, Una must face the fact that Ray is now, in many ways, a different person from the man who abused her. But he still refuses to accept responsibility, and her anger has not abated." (Toronto International Film Festival)Hide
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Directed by Benedict Andrews (feature debut)
Starring Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, Indira Varma, Tara Fitzgerald, Tobias Menzies, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Isobelle Molloy
Written by David Harrower (based on his stage play 'Blackbird')
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Una
BY cinemusefilm superstar
Adapted from the acclaimed 2005 stage play Blackbird, this tense drama-thriller explores the moral ambiguities of a criminal act that occurred 15 years ago between 40-year old Ray (Ben Mendelsohn) and 13-year old Una (Mara Rooney). The emotionally immature Ray was obsessed with the lonely and precocious Una over a three-month relationship before having ‘consensual’ sex with her. By chance, the incident was discovered and he spent four years in jail. Since then he changed his name and has tried to restore his life. Meanwhile Una’s world spiralled into an emotional void. Now 28, she has tracked him down and unexpectedly confronts him at the factory where he works. Instead of attacking him for the abuse, she demands to know why he abandoned her after their one night together. They continue talking beyond the factory’s closing time, then she tricks another employee to take her to Ray’s home where his girlfriend is hosting a party. At this point, the intensity of the factory scenes becomes diluted and the sparring inconclusive.
This is an explosive mix of issues, personality and circumstance. The film consists mostly of their verbal sparring about the illegal ‘affair’ with dialogue ranging from hysterical, passionate to icy cool within an industrial setting that is claustrophobic and alienating. It is beyond Ray’s emotional capacity to understand what Una wants, while she vacillates between wanting to restore her juvenile obsession with him and wanting to see him wallow in guilt for his crime. Every time we feel contempt for him, we see a piece of the emotional puzzle indicating human weakness but not evil. Every time we admire Una’s determination to hold Ray to account, we see a glimpse of her complicity and manipulation. Mara Rooney and Ben Mendelsohn fill their characters with confusion and remorse. At the same time, they depict genuine emotional connection with each other despite the legal, emotional and moral prohibitions that still frame their lives. Their performances are brilliant.
At one level, this film is about the horrendous impact on victims and the abrogation of responsibility that occurs in cases of child sexual abuse. At another, it pulls apart the stereotype of victim and abuser to shed light on how it can happen and its painful aftermath. Some audiences may be repulsed at the level of sympathy shown to the perpetrator and the implicit sharing of responsibility between a juvenile and an adult for what is entirely an adult crime. Others may be shaken by the idea that such crimes may have any moral ambiguity at all. In any case, this is brave and provocative cinema that cuts across the guilt versus innocence binary.Hide
The Press Reviews
Every time the film could go for the expected, it turns on a dime. Not all of these twists work, but it keeps us on our toes, which makes the situation feel real because it's working against what we want to happen. Full Review
The film has a different though no less riveting intensity, thanks to Rooney Mara's emotionally naked performance in the title role, and unflinching support from Ben Mendelsohn. Full Review
The play has been superbly opened out, and the prowling cinematography of Thimios Bakatakis (Attenberg, The Lobster) and Fiona Crombie's cheerless sets combine to sustain an oppressive mood throughout. Full Review
Una is a character and a story that fails to engage and the argument for its existence as a film is a sadly unsuccessful one. Full Review
Ben Mendelsohn and Rooney Mara play a pedophile and his target in this edgy adaptation of the David Harrower play. Full Review
The ebb and flow of power throughout this film is part of its brilliant dynamic. Full Review
A confronting, compelling drama fuelled by the lack of easy answers. It's so tense at points, you might forget to breath. Full Review
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