Una

11. Una

A movie that’s unfortunately been stuck is release date hell for a while, “Una” was filmed in 2015 and was planned to be released later that same year, possibly for awards consideration. It didn’t happen, getting delayed until 2016, which also fell through. Finally it came about to the public mid-2017, with absolutely zero fanfare whatsoever, which is a shame considering Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn should have been Oscar contenders.

Based on the renowned play “Blackbird” (with the screenplay written by playwright himself, David Harrower), “Una” has a simple set-up: a woman finds the man who abused her as a child 15 years earlier and confronts him about it. But that’s just about where the simplicity ends, as what follows is a profoundly nuanced and complex discussion about trauma, dependency and love, but, most of all, it’s a study of those two characters and how they relate to each other.

The movie doesn’t shy away from its theater roots and it’s mostly based around dialogue instead of images, but director Benedict Andrews does find creative ways to use the camera, as in the moment when Ray, the abuser, sees Una for the first time, and is framed in a disjointed kind of way, demonstrating his discomfort and shock. The director is also efficient in the use of space, staging the action in small, claustrophobic spaces.

But what really makes the movie are the performances by Mendelsohn and especially Mara, who take interesting characters on the page and elevate them to new heights. Mendelsohn creates a complex figure of a man who regrets his actions but also doesn’t want to take full responsibility for them; while Mara, alternating between subtle expressions and incredible intensity, creates an angry, bitter woman who slowly reveals hidden attachments to her former lover/abuser.

The end is a bit abrupt, but until then, “Una” is a gripping drama with exceptional writing and acting.