The story of Ruth Slater’s character begins when she is released from prison. We will never know how things went for her inside the bars. But outside, life is not easy. Ruth’s path to freedom is strewn with difficulties, traps and trials.
In short, for Ruth, picking up the pieces of her life will not be easy.
This story is told to us through an incredible gallery of characters, each of which sheds a different light on Ruth.
There is Vincent, her probation officer, Blake, a guy from the fishmonger who becomes infatuated with her, Steve and Keith, the two sons of the police officer she murdered, John Ingram (Vincent D’Onofrio), lawyer who decides to represent her, Liz Ingram (Viola Davis), wife of John with strong ideas. There’s also Katherine (Aisling Franciosi), Ruth’s 15-year-old younger sister who, after the police officer was murdered, moved to live with Rachel (Linda Emond) and Michael (Richard Thomas), foster parents whose lives are shaken by the resurgence of the ex-prisoner.
Phew! Let’s face it, that’s a lot of history and a lot of people. But we have to recognize that these echo each other correctly for quite a while. So that history holds together, it moves forward, it keeps us going. The viewer cultivates a certain empathy for Ruth.
Alas, it will not last. In the last third, certain dramatic springs seemed to us to be cobbled together a bit in order to justify an act, a behavior, a change of opinion. So the real story of the police officer’s murder falls on us like a ton of bricks and lacks credibility.
When the end credits roll, our conclusion is that we have finally seen an interesting TV movie, but certainly not a great movie. Fact, The Unforgivable is an adaptation of a British miniseries released in 2009.
Hats off to Sandra Bullock, who plays her character with a lot of abandon. Very badly at the start, his Ruth gradually becomes brighter as the story progresses. This development is well measured, well orchestrated.
On Netflix
Drama
The Unforgivable
(vf Unforgivable)
Nora Fingscheidt
With Sandra Bullock, Aisling Franciosi and Vincent D’Onofrio
1 h 54