Una
Eammon Films | Release Date: October 6, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The Film StageChristopher SchobertSep 16, 2016
For Rooney Mara, it’s a new high, giving a performance that can only be described as extraordinary, and she makes Una a sharp, discomforting stunner. Read full review
90
Screen DailyGraham FullerSep 7, 2016
Mendelsohn makes Ray plausibly remorseful, yet the suspicion remains that he’s as creepily self-serving as Humbert Humbert in Nabokov’s Lolita. Mara, meanwhile, is like a seared, broken Alice groping for a way out of a psychic labyrinth - hers is a fearsome performance. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattOct 5, 2017
Una’s raw, deeply dis­comfiting dance between obsession and exploitation isn’t easy to watch by any metric; they make it hard to look away. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 3, 2016
An agile, vicious piece of work that’s anchored by extraordinary performances from Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn, Una maintains its grip even when swinging a bit too hard for the fences. Read full review
80
CineVueChristopher MachellOct 3, 2017
Una is undoubtedly a difficult watch, and its moral ambivalence may be beyond the pale for some. But the sensitivity with which it treats its subjects and the nuance that the film brings to the most incendiary of debates is admirable. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 16, 2016
The film has a different though no less riveting intensity, thanks to Rooney Mara's emotionally naked performance in the title role, and unflinching support from Ben Mendelsohn. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovNov 1, 2017
This is the hot-button topic of the moment and audiences will be divided, but there can be no denying the gut-punch power of Andrews’ directorial debut. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 3, 2018
It’s daring enough to hint that there’s no way this story (the film was made in 2017) would be greenlit for filming, even in the UK, today. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzOct 19, 2017
These are not easy people to understand, nor to watch unravel, but they are urgent, complicated, captivating characters. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 19, 2017
These are fantastic performances, even if they’re painful to watch. Una isn’t pretty, but it is powerful. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredJoseph FalconeSep 19, 2016
Benedict Andrews Una is a meticulous beast, led by fearless performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Rooney Mara. Its unprecedented approach to the controversial subject matter at its core works splendidly, effectively churning viewers in their seats for the entire duration of the film. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 16, 2016
Needless to say, Una is not an easy film to watch, in part because it deals with not just the act of pedophilia (never depicted outright) but also its consequences, exposing the raw wounds still seething long after the inappropriate relationship has ended. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 3, 2016
For a feature debut, Una is bursting with exceptional confidence and style. The aesthetic is Jonathan Glazer meets Andrea Arnold and it assures that some of the script’s more staged scenes hold your attention. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 7, 2017
In the case of Una, the play's the thing, with the stage production coming at you in a rush that doesn't allow the characters or the audience to take a breath. In this personal hell of Harrower's creation, there is no exit. The movie, however, keeps opening the door and letting the air in. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineHenry StewartOct 2, 2017
The film gives Una a little more agency, but director Benedict Andrews often invalidates such empowerment. Read full review
60
TheWrapInkoo KangOct 6, 2017
The film is meant to be a negotiation of what that long-ago relationship was, and it is that. But considered in our reality of pervasive sexual iniquity, Una also feels, whatever its creators’ intentions, an awful lot like a litany of self-serving excuses for pedophilic behavior, which may or may not be sincere. Read full review
60
Village VoiceBilge EbiriOct 5, 2017
There’s nothing wrong with stylization and opening things up (usually, these are good things), and Andrews has impressive command of his frame. But here, the extra-cinematic adornments seem somewhat unnecessary, as Una’s chief power lies in its two striking lead performances. Read full review
60
Total FilmJordan FarleyOct 3, 2017
Incendiary storytelling with nuanced performances, but the transition from stage to screen lacks focus. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 3, 2017
Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn bring a controlled intensity and force – and even a twisted kind of chemistry – to this disturbing if structurally flawed movie. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 3, 2017
Una is a sparse, icy film fighting a little too hard against the fact that it used to be a play. Read full review
60
EmpireOlly RichardsSep 4, 2017
It’s a film to see for the performances, which are faultless, but while it’s sometimes riveting this play has been awkwardly translated to screen. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Oct 10, 2017
Una demonstrates that when it comes to the staginess of stage adaptations, the cure can be worse than the disease. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 6, 2017
Great actors Ben Mendelsohn and Rooney Mara do their best to elevate the frustrating Una, but their director doesn’t seem to understand what he has in these two performers, constantly pulling back from their raw emotion and complex characters. Read full review
50
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 5, 2017
The scenes that leave Ms. Mara and Mr. Mendelsohn alone are, tellingly, the most interesting and effective ones. Their performances are tightly focused and unflinching; too bad they are surrounded by a lot of heavy-handed, poorly aimed cinematic showing off. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshOct 12, 2017
It’s at once talky yet emotionally remote, and while posing a risky set of questions about sexual abuse, power and relationships, the experience is an unsatisfactory and draining slog. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonDave CalhounOct 3, 2017
Much of the challenging discomfort of the play is replaced with the easier, quicker wins of revenge, sex and redemption. It remains a daring project ­– but you’re better off reading the play. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 16, 2016
Mara and Mendelsohn have a compellingly toxic chemistry together and their initial confrontation is intriguingly tense. But once we’re locked into the meat of the story, the film has nowhere else to go, at least anywhere that’s of interest and the pace becomes laborious as their discussions turn repetitive. Read full review
40
TheWrapDan CallahanSep 3, 2016
Una keeps drifting away into flashy and superfluous details. Read full review
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