Una review: Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn give an acting masterclass in Benedict Andrews’ harrowing drama about a twenty-something British girl who confronts her abuser.
Una review by Paul Heath, October 2016.
Based on the play Blackbird by David Harrower, Una unites Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn for this British drama directed by Benedict Andrews who makes his feature film directing debut.
Adapted by Harrower himself, Una sees Mara play the title character, a tortured individual who we find having random sex in a nightclub and then walking home barefoot as day breaks back to her childhood home where she still lives with her mother. Andrews skillfully uses suggestion in the couple of scenes prior to give the viewer the impression that she was abused at a younger age – vivid images of a young teenager visiting an older man’s house. The story unravels slowly to reveal that a thirteen-year-old Una (Ruby Stokes) had a sexual relationship with her adult neighbour Ray (Mendelsohn), who was subsequently charged and sentenced to four years in prison for his crime. We fast-forward fifteen years to Mara’s adult Una who decides to face her abuser at his workplace to somehow gain closure not totally because of his crime, but because of Ray’s sudden abandonment of her. A two-sided war of words during the confrontation follows in a very hard to watch feature.
One thing’s for sure, the acting in Andrews’ big-screen version of Harrower’s lauded play phenomenal. Mara and Mendelsohn are flawless, the latter showing that he is fearless and uncompromising when it comes to his career choices. Mara continues to wow following a string of well-received efforts – the last being The Secret Scripture where she plays an equally tortured individual (also screening at LFF). She clearly relishes the challenges of these complex, very dark and deep roles and delivers nearly every time. For the second time in her career, following her superb turn in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Mara portrays a character who uses sexual dominance to achieve her objectives while being completely numb, troubled and devastated.
Riz Ahmed also appears, though is sadly underused as Ray/ Peter’s (he changed his name post-prison) co-worker, as does Tara Fitzgerald in a welcome return to the screen.
Andrews’ direction is solid as are Thimios Bakatakis‘ visuals – making it an impressive one-two following last year’s The Lobster. Andrews and Harrower’s script include constant flashbacks which work really well, as does its confined modern-day-set story at Ray’s, workplace provides a claustrophobic feel which grows in intensity as the story progresses.
The most underwhelming aspect of the film is the end. The story plays out as expected and frantically moves to a climax which is just a little bit too predictable. While that lets it down slightly, this is far from being a drama which is more suited to the small screen or back on the stage as some reactions have said. The two central performances are enough to warrant the price of admission alone.
A tough, tough watch, purely because of the subject matter, and while Una is not necessarily a film that one may enjoy it is worth hunting down for its excellently written characters and Mara and Mendelsohn who expertly embody them.
Una review by Paul Heath, October 2016.
Una is currently playing at the Sydney Film Festival. It is currently awaiting a UK release date.
