Una has a major balancing act to perform. Based on David Harrower’s famous play ‘Blackbird’, it examines the subject of abuse and its consequences from both the victim and the exploiter’s point of view. Director Benedict Andrews faces the task of turning a claustrophobic two hander into a living, breathing movie. He’s also got the challenge of bringing the story’s ambiguous and challenging nature to the screen in more detail with added characters and locations. Una DVD review by Steve Palace.
Una DVD review
Thankfully Andrews and Harrower have succeeded. From the moment Rooney Mara’s Una appears onscreen you know something is wrong. She has a haunted quality as she seeks sex in nightclubs, returning home in the early hours to look at a picture she’s hiding under her carpet. In the picture is Ray (Ben Mendelsohn), who everyone at his workplace knows as Pete. Una is determined to find Ray looking for answers. Running parallel to this tense sequence are flashbacks, where Mendelsohn’s family friend takes an unusual interest in Una’s younger self (played by Ruby Stokes). A friendship of sorts develops, becoming something darker down the line, though you’re in no doubt over why Una is tracking down Ray in the first place.
Harrower and Andrews don’t flinch from Una‘s disturbing content, though at the same time the scenes with Stokes are handled sensitively and sparingly. The eerie sight of rippling grass or crumpled clothes on the floor creates a more powerful impression than a lurid depiction ever could. The meat of the piece lies in the extended showdown between Mara and Mendelsohn, who are both perfectly cast. The source material is called Blackbird and she has that fragile, bird-like quality. Mara, sporting a decent English accent, makes Una both luminous and damaged. As for Mendelsohn, well he keeps it Australian and you can see why he’s so in demand. His character is unquestionably a monster – at one point he complains to her that he’s been up since the crack of dawn – but he’s not a straightforward one. What he brings to the role is an impeccable sense of light and shade.
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One minor criticism is that in shifting focus away from the pair’s intense confrontation and spacing out the action, the filmmakers dilute the raw power of the situation. That’s not to say it doesn’t shred your nerves and I understand at the end of the day Andrews is avoiding a stage-like approach. I just feel he could have made this happen in the vast industrial location where Ray works. Would I think this way if I didn’t know what the play was like? I’m not sure. The supporting cast are all good, though Riz Ahmed’s character seems set up to expand the scenario rather than be a necessary element in his own right. He gives a lovely performance though, as Ray’s colleague caught up in explosive revelations.
Jed Kurzel’s lonely, off-kilter score complements the film well and the conclusion is fittingly open-ended. It’s a fascinating piece of work, anchored by two memorable performances which really make the ambition of the project sing.
Una DVD review by Steve Palace, January 2018.
