Una (film)

Una
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Benedict Andrews
Produced by
Screenplay by David Harrower
Based on Blackbird
by David Harrower
Starring
Music by Jed Kurzel
Cinematography Thimios Bakatakis
Edited by Nick 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
Language English
Box office $676,949[2]

Una is a 2016 American-British-Canadian 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.

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 was released in the United States on October 6, 2017, by Swen.

Plot

A young woman, Una (Mara), arrives unexpectedly at an older man's workplace looking for the truth behind the affair that occurred between them. The interactions were instigated by Ray (Mendelsohn) 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. Convinced by a misunderstanding that Ray had abandoned her, she wandered the streets distraught and bewildered, to be returned home by police, seemingly betrayed. He served four years in jail for his crime, treated as the lowest form of humanity by fellow-inmates. Then changing his name to "Pete", he rose 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.

She finds where he works through a newspaper photograph and confronts him just as he is due to address the workers regarding retrenchments. Unnerved, he leaves the meeting, and hides from his fellow staff members, but she finds him. They quarrel: he insists that he had been genuinely in love, was not by nature a paedophile, and had not been "grooming" her. They find they are still sexually attracted, but he has to prepare for a dinner party being held that night, and leaves her for his home. She leaves with employee Scott (Ahmed), a young single man, and invites herself to his place, where she seduces him. She then persuades Scott to escort her to Ray's luxury country residence, where the party is under way. Ray has no choice but to introduce Scott as a co-worker; Una ignores Ray, however he is clearly troubled by fears of being unmasked. The wife and Una talk briefly; she drops a hint that their marriage is not entirely happy. Una wanders upstairs, where she finds the bedroom of a teenage girl who is obviously loved; she enters and is laying on the bed when the girl enters and loudly demands an explanation. The daughter, Ray's wife's from an earlier marriage, is about 13 years old. Ray denies Una's unspoken accusation. He insists Una is the only one of that age he has ever desired, that she was "the only one" as he kisses her face, all while his wife, step-daughter and Scott look on from a distance. Una then walks off into the dark, and it is clear that Ray's cosy life is about to implode.

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] And Celia Duval co-producing, 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]

Filming

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 75% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. 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 87 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Una". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Una". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. 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. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  4. 1 2 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. Screen International. 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. ↑ SSN Insider Staff (June 15, 2015). "On the Set for 6/15/15: Martin Scorsese Starts Shooting "Free Fire", Matthew McConaughey Finishes "Free State of Jones" & More". SSN Insider. TSS News. 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. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  10. ↑ Daniels, Nia (June 15, 2015). "Rooney Mara in London for Blackbird". KFTV. Media Business Insight. 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. ↑ Kent Film Office (September 1, 2017). "Una (2017)". Kent Film Office. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (September 11, 2015). "Benedict Andrews on Directing 'Blackbird,' Starring Rooney Mara". Variety. Penske Business Media. 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 & Conferences. 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. Penske Business Media. 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. Penske Business Media. 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". BFI London Film Festival. British Film Institute. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Hipes, Patrick (January 20, 2017). "Rooney Mara-Ben Mendelsohn Pic 'Una' Lands At Swen As Company Launches U.S. Arm". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  20. ↑ Mitchell, Robert (April 25, 2017). "Thunderbird Releasing Takes 'Una,' 'Brimstone' for U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Una". Thunderbird Releasing. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Una (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Una Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
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