Morgan Freeman also stars in An Unfinished Life. A story that starts with sad music while kitty cats and a raccoon keep a rugged-looking Robert Redford company. After a brief glimpse into his lonely life where he is strangely often seen drinking glasses of milk, the title takes a sharp turn with front-row seats. On stage is a show about a gaslighting abusive husband who is busy blaming his victim after a night with his punching bag. She is on the verge of leaving and trying to find a place where her chosen person won’t find them.
The two scenarios draw closer together as the characters outline their chosen obstacle to overcome. As banjos play frequently in the background, the narrative is full of a healthy dose of bonding as estranged families either realize what they’ve got or realize what they lost. Almost all the characters are trying to find ways to forgive in one way or another and the overlapping small-town opportunities flood the story with a pointed direction towards what I could only imagine would be a finished life. It’s that uncomplicated.
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Jennifer Lopez stars as Jean, a woman whose full story is brought to light throughout the first half of An Unfinished Life. When we first meet her, she’s on the road with a bruise on her face, alongside her daughter Griff in a broken-down car on a highway. It’s from here she makes her way by traveling on the back of a random motorist’s motorcycle to her father-in-law’s farm.
Lessons are learned by the dozen. Despite not meeting more than ten people in the town, A Life Unfinished is the type of movie you go looking for only when you’re in the mood for reflection and an easy ride.
Einer plays Granddad to Griff who’s named after his dead son. The complicated part is that Jean was married to Einer’s son, and was pregnant when he died. On top of that, she was driving the car when it happened. Cue dramatic music.
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In an adjoining house on the acreage lives Einer’s best friend, Mitch. It just so happens that Mitch got mauled by a bear while Einer was drunk. Because he was drunk, he didn’t rescue him to the best of his ability and blamed himself for his injuries. Cue dramatic music.
The acting is very good here, with the younger Griff (Becca Gardner ) often outshining her popstar mom’s energy by either matching it or surpassing it. As the only character who doesn’t have anyone or anything to forgive, her assignment is to find her voice. She does this by abandoning her mother when her Grandfather and Jean fight one night.
The film’s visual appeal is undeniable, offering a tableau reminiscent of Lasse Hallstrom’s usual steady direction.
Lush green hills juxtaposed with worn weatherboard houses. Scenes showcasing dilapidated trucks and an abundance of milk capture the essence of this rustic setting. A peculiar yet notable aspect is the conspicuous emphasis on scenes depicting the consumption, pouring, and collection of milk which I found to be an eccentric detail.
If you were worried that Mitch didn’t have an emotional journey to embark on, you’d be incorrect. After the bear mauled him, the town captured the bear. Einer has been feeding him in his cage every day since.
But what about the bear, I hear you ask. The bear also gets to overcome some challenges towards the end of An Unfinished Life when Mitch overcomes being mad at the bear for crushing his dreams.
The bear eventually gets released by Einer and Griff who have cemented their family bond. So much so, that the circle of life causes a miracle to happen when the car Griff is driving starts to roll almost crushing her newfound Grandfather. At the hospital, Einer realizes that all their mistakes weren’t on purpose before heading back to the farm.
Meanwhile, Mitch finally meets his bear in the wild shortly after going to great pains to see him face-to-face from behind his prison bars. As they stand each other down, Mitch shuts his eyes and the bear runs away after pawing at some dirt.
For me, the takeaway is that A Life Unfinished proves you really can just put your hands over your eyes and make all your problems and fears just disappear.
Thanks, A Life Unfinished.
An Unfinished Life is rated
2.5 Policemen who are also Taxi out of 5
An Unfinished Life Streaming on Netflix
In Australia, the American drama movie is streaming on Netflix. For more ways to watch in other parts of the world, see our friends at Justwatch.com
An Unfinished Life is streaming on:
An Unfinished Life, Jenifer Lopez In Dramatic Movies - Mother of Movies
Director: Lasse Hallström
Date Created: 2005-09-09 18:48
2.5
Pros
- An Unfinished Life has Jennifer Lopez, Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman, they could read the newspaper and be interesting,
- Pretty Scenery,
- Easy to follow story,
- Feel good movie.
Cons
- Predictable,
- A little too nice for its own good,
- Mitch scared the bear away by closing his eyes.
