Una (film)

Una is a 2016 drama film directed by Benedict Andrews based upon the play Blackbird by David Harrower, who also wrote the film's screenplay. It stars Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, Ruby Stokes, Tara Fitzgerald, Natasha Little, and Tobias Menzies.

Una
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBenedict Andrews
Produced by
Screenplay byDavid Harrower
Based onBlackbird
by David Harrower
Starring
Music byJed Kurzel
CinematographyThimios Bakatakis
Edited byNick Fenton
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 2, 2016 (2016-09-02) (Telluride)
  • September 1, 2017 (2017-09-01) (United Kingdom)
  • October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[1]
Country
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$676,949[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2017, by Thunderbird Releasing and in the United States on October 6, 2017, by Swen.

Plot

A young woman, Una, arrives unexpectedly at an older man's workplace looking for the truth behind the three-month sexual relationship that occurred when she was a 13-year-old child and he was a next-door neighbor and trusted friend of her father. The facts came to light on the eve of their planned elopement abroad. Convinced by a misunderstanding that Ray had abandoned her in the coastal hotel room where he had just taken her virginity, she wandered the streets distraught and bewildered, to be returned home by police.

He served four years in jail for his crime, treated as the lowest form of humanity by fellow inmates. Having changed his name from "Ray" to "Peter Trevelyan", he has risen to management level in a large warehouse. She grew up lonely and confused, living with her mother in the same house they lived in before the incident, and in her adulthood, now takes solace in going out for one-night stands and returning home before dawn.

Una finds where he works through a newspaper photograph and confronts him. She is still emotionally wounded from what happened. Instead of empathizing with her, Ray at first fears she may want to damage his career or even kill him.

Ray leaves the room to attend a critical staff meeting, where he must announce cutbacks and layoffs to employees. He is unable to function at the work meeting, leaves abruptly, and hides from angry executives and his fellow staff members. Una finds him. They quarrel: he insists that he was genuinely in love with her, is not by nature a hebephile, and had not been "grooming" her. He tells Una he is now married to a woman his own age. It's obvious that Ray and Una are still attracted to one another. To Una's surprise, he explains that his "abandonment" of her was a misunderstanding: he had needed a walk and a drink to clear his head, but returned to find that she had vanished. She instigates sex with him, but before it goes too far, Ray abruptly leaves and returns to his home, leaving her feeling abandoned once again.

Una leaves the warehouse with Scott (Ahmed), a young single man, and Ray's co-worker. She invites herself to Scott's flat, where she seduces him. She then persuades Scott, by claiming to be "Pete's" daughter, to escort her to Ray's comfortable suburban home.

Ray and his wife are hosting a large party, and he is shocked to see Scott and Una arrive. The wife and Una talk briefly, and she drops a hint that their marriage is not entirely happy (earlier, we saw Ray have sex with his wife with his eyes closed on getting home). Una wanders upstairs, where she curls up on the bed of a teenage girl - the daughter of Ray's wife, from an earlier marriage, also aged about 13 - who is obviously loved and cared for. The girl enters and loudly demands an explanation. Ray denies Una's unspoken accusation. He insists Una is the only one of that age he has ever desired, that she still is "the only one" as he kisses her face, all while his wife, step-daughter and Scott look on from a distance. Una walks off into the dark.

Cast

Production

In November 2014, it was announced that Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn had been cast as Una and Ray respectively, with Benedict Andrews directing from a screenplay by David Harrower who also wrote the stage play on which the film is based.[3] With Jean Doumanian, Patrick Daly, and Maya Amsellem, producing under their Jean Doumanian Productions and West End Films banners respectively.[4] Celia Duval co-produced, with executive producers Jason Cloth, Aaron L. Gilbert under his Bron Studios banner, as well as Sharon Harel, Kevin Loader, Eve Schoukroun.[4] In May 2015, Film4 joined the film as a financier.[5] In June 2015, Indira Varma, Tara Fitzgerald, and Riz Ahmed were all confirmed to star in the film.[6] Jed Kurzel composed the film's score.[7]

Production on the film began on June 13, 2015, in the United Kingdom.[8][9][10][11] Further filming locations include Dungeness, Greatstone and Lydd, in Romney Marsh, Kent which feature as a remote hideaway location.[12]

Release

In September 2015, Variety released the first image from the film.[13] In November 2015, it was announced the film had been re-titled Una.[14] In November 2015, IndieWire released another image from the film.[15]

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016.[16] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2016[17] and the BFI London Film Festival on October 9, 2016.[18] Shortly after, Swen acquired U.S distribution rights to the film, partnering with Eammon Films handling the theatrical release.[19] Thunderbird Releasing acquired U.K. distribution rights to the film[20] and released it in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2017.[21] It was released on October 6, 2017, in the United States.[19]

Reception

Una received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 76% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 6.77/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Una's well-matched leads bring an uncomfortable story fearlessly to life, keeping the movie consistently gripping as it navigates the tricky journey from stage to screen."[22] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 62 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]

References
  1. "Una". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  2. "Una". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  3. Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 5, 2014). "Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn Star In 'Blackbird'; First Film For Theater Helmer Benedict Andrews". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  4. Lavallee, Eric (November 25, 2015). "2016 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Benedict Andrews' Una". IONCINEMA. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  5. Wiseman, Andreas (May 6, 2015). "Film4 flies with Rooney Mara's 'Blackbird'". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  6. Myles, Sarah. "Ben Mendelsohn And Rooney Mara Begin Shooting Blackbird". We Got This Covered. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  7. filmmusicreporter (October 22, 2015). "Jed Kurzel to score 'Blackbird'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  8. "On the Set for 6/15/15: Martin Scorsese Starts Shooting "Free Fire", Matthew McConaughey Finishes "Free State of Jones" & More". SSN Insider. June 15, 2015. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  9. Barraclough, Leo (June 17, 2015). "Rooney Mara Starrer 'Blackbird' Starts Shooting in Southern England". Variety. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  10. Daniels, Nia (June 15, 2015). "Rooney Mara in London for Blackbird". KFTV. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  11. Aleksander (July 4, 2015). "ROONEY MARA on the Set of Blackbird in London 07/01/2015". Hawt Celebs. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  12. "Una (2017)". Kent Film Office. September 1, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  13. Barraclough, Leo (September 11, 2015). "Benedict Andrews on Directing 'Blackbird,' Starring Rooney Mara". Variety. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  14. "New title and picture release for Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelson drama Una previously titled (Blackbird)" (PDF). American Film Market. November 9, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  15. Davis, Edward (November 6, 2015). "First Look: Rooney Mara And Ben Mendelsohn In 'Una' (Formerly Known As 'Blackbird')". IndieWire. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  16. Hammond, Pete (September 1, 2016). "Telluride Film Festival Lineup: 'Sully', 'La La Land', 'Arrival', 'Bleed For This' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  17. Raup, Jordan (July 26, 2016). "TIFF 2016 Line-Up Includes 'Nocturnal Animals,' 'La La Land,' 'American Pastoral,' and More". The Film Stage. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  18. "Una". British Film Institute. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  19. Hipes, Patrick (January 20, 2017). "Rooney Mara-Ben Mendelsohn Pic 'Una' Lands At Swen As Company Launches U.S. Arm". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  20. Mitchell, Robert (April 25, 2017). "Thunderbird Releasing Takes 'Una,' 'Brimstone' for U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  21. "Una". Thunderbird Releasing. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  22. "Una (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  23. "Una Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
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