Displaying items by tag: Jessica Hynes

DEATH OF A UNICORN

US, 2025, 107 minutes, Colour.

Paul Rudd, Jenny Ortega, Will Poulter, Tea Leoni, Richard E.Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Jessica Hynes.

Directed by Alex Scharfmann.

Certainly an arresting title. Unicorns take us into the world of imagination, fantasy, even of symbolism. But with death in the title, it is all rather foreboding.

What follows is a rather sombre drama but the audience being kept alert by unexpected events, memories of stories about unicorns, the screenplay making them more and more symbolic as the action goes on.

A lawyer and his young daughter, grieving the death of her mother, are seen travelling on a highway out in a forest wilderness. He is intent on getting the wealthy owner of a mansion, with terminal cancer, to sign documents for the administration of this estate. He lives with his wife, son and heir, with two servants. He is pharmaceutical tycoon with his own laboratory and doctors and assistance.

The father and daughter are played by Paul Rudd and Jenny Ortega. The family is Richard E. Grant as the dying tycoon, Tea Leoni as his wife, Will Poulter standing out as his spoilt son.

But, in this context, there is an accident on the highway, the car hitting a unicorn, the question of a mercy killing to put it out of its misery, loading it into the car, the plan to bury the unicorn secretly at night.

With the accident on the highway, the film is quite unpredictable, tantalising with the behaviour of the characters, the power of the unicorns, speculation on the symbolism, healing powers, hostility to humans…

A word of caution. If this review has stimulated interest, a warning that there are quite some horror and brutality sequences in a number of deaths throughout the film… and an Eat the Rich theme.

Unpredictable journey which turns into symbolic nightmare.

1. The arresting title? The reality of the accident with the unicorn? The consequences? Symbolic interpretation?
2. The situation, the mansion in the woods, the owner and his illness, business and medications, plan for his administration, the unicorns, healing, exploitation, vengeance and destruction?
3. The opening, Elliot and Ridley, the tension between the two, her not wanting to be there, memories of her mother and her death, Elliot focusing on the success of the business, relying on Ridley’s presence? The drive, the unicorn, hitting it, Ridley and her sense of its presence, Elliot putting it out of its misery, loading it into the car, intending to bury it secretly?
4. The mansion on the family, Odell, dying, demanding? Belinda and her support, her manner, aristocratic? Shepard, his age, the heir, casual, in shorts, his attitude? Shaw, the servant, her severe manner, command? Griff, his appearance, servant, at beck and call, his willingness?
5. Each character, the encounters, likes and dislikes? Ridley creating an atmosphere of awkwardness? Discussion about the plan, the almost signing?
6. The unicorns, attack, the healing powers, the shining horn, Ridley and the connection? The effect on Odelll? And the beginnings of thoughts of exploitation? Shepard and his reaction – and the later snorting the powder from the unicorns?
7. The mythology, the tapestries, the stories, Ridley and her art studies, interpretations?
8. The unicorns arriving, to rescue the young, the invasion, the role of the servants, laboratory, the doctor and assistant, the examination of the unicorns, the tests, the science, the attack and the death of the doctor?
9. The unicorns and their presence, the siege, the attacks, chases throughout the house, Odell and his going hunting, Shepard and his slack attitudes, Belinda trying to be nice?
10. The succession of deaths, the vindictiveness of the unicorns, Odell, attack on Belinda, Shaw?
11. The impact on Elliot, relationship with Ridley, Ridley and her fears, interpretations? The possibility for escape? Griff and unlocking the door, to move to the car? Griff and his escape?
12. Shepard, the doctor’s assistant, involving her, her death?
13. The final attack on Elliot, his going into the cosmic experience as Ridley had, the unicorns and their capacity for revival, Elliot’s revival, reunited with Ridley? The venerating performance by the unicorns?
14. Elliott and Ridley, their leaving, change of mind and heart?
15. The film as horror, as action, as “Eat the Rich”, business exploitation, the environment, mythologies as symbolic for experience?