The Unsaid (2001)

Directed by: Tom McLoughlin | 105 minutes | thriller | Actors: Andy Garcia, Vincent Kartheiser, Trevor Blumas, Linda Cardellini, Sam Bottoms, August Schellenberg, Chelsea Field, Brendan Fletcher, Teri Polo, Trevor Aikman, Sarah Deakins, Joe Drago, Mike O’Brien, Max Peters, Kim Schraner

‘The Unsaid’ opens with the apparently happy Hunter family getting ready for a vocal performance by daughter Shelly (Cardellini). Only son Kyle (Blumas) shows typical adolescent behavior – or so it seems, because once the rest of the family has left, he kills himself in the garage using the exhaust fumes from the other car.

The next scene starts three years later. Father Michael Hunter (Garcia) has grown a full, graying beard à la Francis Ford Coppola. His wife Penny (Field) has left him and their daughter lives with her. He is introduced to a guest lecture at his old university as one of its most successful alumni. He explains to the students, among other things, what conversation techniques exist. Just as important as what is said is what is not said (‘The Unsaid’) and is told only through facial expressions, posture and gestures. Alumnus Barbara (Polo) puts him in touch with Tommy Caffey (Kartheiser). As a child, Tommy witnessed his mother’s murder by his father and has been in a mental health facility ever since. He will be 18 in a few weeks and will be allowed to leave the institution. Barbara would like to hear from Michael his opinion about Tommy’s self-reliance in society. What begins as a friendly conversation between a retired psychiatrist and an almost ex-patient quickly turns into a psychological game between the two. Michael tries to get to grips with Tommy and the latter tries just as hard to manipulate Michael by playing out the resemblance to his son Kyle.

The fact itself is simple and superficially resembles a film like ‘Primal Fear’. It is the effect that makes this film a strong psychological thriller. This is mainly due to the strong acting performances. Garcia is on top form as the haunted psychiatrist, who feels guilty about his son’s death. His interpretation is built up in several layers, each time introducing different nuances. Garcia gets fine counterplay from the young Kartheiser as the traumatized Tommy. Although the role could easily have become a cliché, Kartheiser manages to arouse both suspicion (by his cold look) and sympathy (by his smile). The other actors provide solid support, but have no independent input. Only Cardellini could have made more of her role as daughter Shelly. Because of her flat portrayal, the attraction that Shelly feels for the mysterious Tommy is never quite clear. It may have to do with her wish to rebel against her father, but she does behave like a very stupid gosling. The latter is less her fault than the script, which still has two strong lead roles. The direction of Tom McLoughlin, who previously directed mainly TV work and ‘Friday the 13th Part VI’, is not particularly striking. The same applies, for example, to the camera work and the music. Overall a decent product, but ‘The Unsaid’ is especially recommended because of the acting performances of Garcia and