2005.108 minutes. Rated PG-13.
“But what I can’t do is to continue to lie here every day and watch you mourn for a life you think you should have had. There are people everywhere who think they got dealt a bad hand. . .”
An Unfinished Life – Miramax
Lasse Hallström directs an all-star cast of Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez through a cinematic idyll in the Wyoming farmland. The cast seeks a corrective for their choices in a quiet story of resolve and forgiveness. Jeanne Gilkyson (Lopez) leaves a physically abusive relationship with her boyfriend, departing with her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), to live on her father-in-laws ranch in Wyoming. Showing up unannounced, Jeanne’s father-in-law, Einar (Redford), is less than thrilled to welcome the uninvited guests. Einar never knew he had a granddaughter, and the latest visit is disruptive to the ebb and flow—the tranquil beauty—of the independent life in a small town in rural Wyoming.
Jean and Griff, seeking new beginnings as they press the restart button, also challenge Einar to do the same. The film is as much a story of redemption as it is a tale of love and courage. Einar is a curmudgeon. Einar lost his son, Griffin, who was only twenty-one when he died. Griffin was married to Jean. We suspect in the early going that Jean had something to do with Griffin’s untimely death. Einar has held a grudge ever since.
Jean’s reunion is even more untimely. With the backdrop of Einar’s struggle to come to terms with an unpleasant memory and a physical reminder of his loss, Jean presents her daughter Griff, also Griffin’s daughter, as evidence of a strained past and a difficult present. Griff, the chatty and curious thirteen-year-old, is a little obstinate. She persists on earning a place in her grandfather’s world. Einar’s gestures seem to indicate other plans.
Mitch Bradley (Freeman), good friend of Einar and fixture of the ranch, dictates the drive for forgiveness and the push to heal old wounds. Mitch was recently mauled by a bear and is convalescing in the guest house. Einar rises early every morning to inject Mitch with pain medication and to help dress wounds and care for his outward appearance. Mitch demonstrates the insufferable cruelty that befalls anyone. Set against Einar’s daily visits up the hill of the ranch to visit the grave of his son, Mitch reminds Einar that it is important to keep looking forward and to embrace the opportunities around him, the family and the life that he is blessed with, and that will help him move forward.
Slowly, Einar begins to take Mitch’s words to heart. He finds time for his new grand-daughter, for Mitch and a special place for his daughter-in-law as he begins to heal old wounds and make amends. I might characterize the film as a subtle story of resurrection, but it is more accurate to call it a heartwarming drama with a flair for the human comedy. It shines with hints of humanity, maturation, wisdom and the embrace of love in overcoming the obstacles that plague the average life of a family beset with tragedy and determination.
Without overstating the pleasantries of the film and the endearing acting of the all star cast, this movie is a hidden gem. It’s warm, it hits home with an uncomfortable spice of family dysfunction, yet it succeeds in gaining the progress that our stubborn insincerity allows us to often stumble over as we pout about the injustices of life.
An Unfinished Life is a film about people, or more specifically, about family. The philosophical overtones are modest, but suggestive; the heart is great when given a chance to open. Find the film and watch it. You may not be jumping up and down with excitement, but you won’t be disappointed.
