Unforgivable

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Unforgivable

2025

1h 43m

Drama

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6 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The Mitchell family deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own family who, after two years, is about to leave prison.

Lucy Mangan

Guardian

Nov 26

5/5

It has an immeasurable sorrow at its heart and offers no answers. It leaves you feeling that this is exactly as it should be; exactly as it must be.

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Rebecca Nicholson

Financial Times

Aug 8

3/5

While the performances are outstanding all round — Friel, in particular, is brilliantly brittle and fierce — there is a sense that it doesn't quite deliver what it needs to.

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Carol Midgley

The Times (UK)

Jul 29

4/5

If any up-and-coming actor wants a masterclass in restrained acting then they should study [Bobby Schofield's] eloquent silences, the way he can make a husky, sullen, mumbled Scouse “yeah” heavily pregnant with meaning.

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Barbara Ellen

Observer (UK)

Oct 9

A deft, intricate drama that dares to cut through hysteria and make viewers think. You can’t help but wonder if McGovern will be forgiven for that.

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Christopher Stevens

Daily Mail (UK)

Aug 4

4/5

It was a powerfully brave performance, but Joe remained sullen, self-pitying, manipulative and disloyal, unable to think of anything but the suffering he had both caused and endured.

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Pat Stacey

Irish Independent

Jul 28

It’s a lot to pack into 105 minutes, with the result that Unforgivable, while gripping and harrowing, feels overloaded and uneven, with a rushed ending.

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Dave C

Nov 1

There is a lot here, with the gravity of events, as well as the societal judgements of the themes addressed. The performances are genuinely brilliant, but it is a shame there seems to be something missing to the underpinning writing and the direction, as a lot of the emotional moments don't necessarily land in the way they are intended

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Mike P

Aug 10

An unflinching and gripping look at an almost impossibly difficult subject. Incredibly well acted and written. Bleak, yet with some redemption and closure. Wisely doesn't attempt to provide definitive answers or solutions.

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Bill A

Aug 3

Some superb casting and strong, believable performances throughout. The film handles a tough subject with real skill —right up until the final 10 minutes, when it unfortunately slips into an unconvincing and oddly implausible anticlimax. Worth a watch....

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Peter R

Jul 30

Typically gripping Jimmy Mcgovern drama Thought provoking masterclass in drama

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Julia Ford

Director

David Threlfall

Brian Mitchell

Mark Womack

Paul Patterson

Paddy Rowan

Sammy Mcveigh

Anna Friel

Anna Mckinney

Finn McParland

Peter Mckinney Jnr

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Synopsis

The Mitchell family deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own family who, after two years, is about to leave prison.

Director: Julia Ford
Producer: Donna Molloy
Screenwriter: Jimmy McGovern
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 43m