Unless

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Unless

2016

1h 30m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A writer's daughter writer drops out of college and is found homeless and speechless on the streets.

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Brief, sincere and heartfelt, Unless never goes entirely off the rails. But it never convinces us that the adaptation needed to be attempted.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 19, 2018

Full Review

Mark Medley

Globe and Mail

What worked in Shields's quiet, contemplative novel about a family in crisis falls flat on screen.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 14, 2016

Full Review

Katy Hayes

Sunday Times (UK)

The film is a beautiful piece of work with a searing truthfulness. Keener plays the parental helplessness with subtle intelligence.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 9, 2018

Full Review

Sarah Cullen

Film Ireland Magazine

As it goes, the conclusion to Unless is too cut-and-dry to offer any lasting commentary regarding homeless issues.

Mar 23, 2018

Full Review

Paul Whitington

Irish Independent

It's a handsome film, soulful but efficient, and Keener and Hannah Gross deliver fine performances.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 19, 2018

Full Review

Paddy Kehoe

RTÉ (Ireland)

Alan Gilsenan's adaptation of Carol Shields' final novel Unless has the delicate touch and the humanity that characterise his documentaries. Yet somehow one is left wanting more.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 14, 2018

Full Review

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Lori B

Has somebody who lived this life in the 70s and 80s with my own mother Either on the streets or in prison. This Movie made me struggle with conflicting emotions. I think I understood what she meant by goodness? Homelessness is made up of many different Things, In the In the light of day, the only people that know these struggles and what has happened to them well living on the streets. so many Angels that turn out to be demons. Everybody on the streets has a different story as to why or how. yes, life is a choice. I’ve heard this many times in my 52 years of being on this mangled, beautiful dishevelled earth. there is nothing left that is New to my eyes good or bad. I think the acting in this movie was superb. As a child or parent, It brought me to tears, rushing flow of memories That I never thought I would cry about ever again. Went through all my senses and emotions that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Bravo.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/24

Full Review

anthony j

Dull. A short story which should have been a short, interesting film. Instead it became a long tedious film.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In the end, I'm only a little sure I got this. But I still enjoyed watching it and waiting to find out what was really going on.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Alan Gilsenan

Director

Catherine Keener

Reta

Matt Craven

Tom

Hannah Gross

Norah

Chloe Rose

Christine

Abigail Winter

Natalie

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Synopsis

A writer's daughter writer drops out of college and is found homeless and speechless on the streets.

Director: Alan Gilsenan
Producer: Jennifer Kawaja, Tristan Lynch, Aoife O'Sullivan, Julia Sereny
Screenwriter: Alan Gilsenan
Production Co: Sienna Films Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 30m