Dr. Michael Hunter (the excellent actor and producer Andy Garcia) is a psychiatric traumatized by the suicide of his son. He is separated of his wife and his rebel teenager daughter lives with the mother. Barbara Wagner (Teri Polo) is her former student and now responsible in an orphanage for the teenager Tommy (Vincent Kartheiser), a boy traumatized by the death of his mother. Deep secrets will be revealed along this brilliant story. The plot starts as a drama, and as far as the characters reveal details about the real facts, the viewer gets more and more evolved by this surprisingly excellent psychological thriller. The story is very credible and realistic, the direction is tight and the performance of the cast is marvelous. Andy Garcia is the producer of this low budget, but excellent movie. A couple of months ago, I watched `The Man from Elysian Fields', also a low-budget good movie produced by him. Andy Garcia is selecting good screenplays for producing and revealing also an excellent producer. I regret the title of this movie in Brazil (`No Limite do Silêncio' the translation would be `In the Limit of the Silence'). Do not ask me why, but in Brazil most of the movies have their titles changed. The distributors believe it makes the movie `more commercial'. The original title `The Unsaid' is perfect for the plot, but unfortunately, Brazilians have to deal with` In the Limit of the Silence'. This movie is highly recommended for lovers of a dense, dramatic and psychological thriller. My vote is eight.
47 Reviews
A great film
donsimpson995 July 2003
This is one of the best films I have seen all year. I notice how few votes it has received and assume that it has gone mostly unnoticed. The words "I don't see how it could have been made any better come to mind.". A psychological thriller which kept my interest level throughout the entire film. Thoughtful, believable, emotionally moving and extremely well acted. Highly recommended!
A Study in Self-Denial
sol12188 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
(There are Spoilers) With no one, including members of his family, taking Kyle Hunter's, Trevor Blumas, symptoms of hurt and depression seriously Kyle ends up killing himself from carbon-monoxide poisoning one rainy evening in the family garage.
Kyle's dad Michael Hunter, Andy Garcia,who should have known his problems and how serious they were since he's a collage professor in psychology, as well as threats people like Kyle all the time is so devastated by his son's death that he ends up leaving his wife Penny and daughter Selly, Chelsea Fields & Linda Cardellini,to live by himself since he couldn't face them anymore. We later learn the real reason for Kyle's suicide and it shows how right Michael was in feeling guilty about his death and what he had, unconsciously and unknowingly, to do with it.
It's now three years later and Michael is getting his life back together, and putting Kyle's tragic death behind him, as he goes on the lecture circuit and is invited to speak at his alma mater Kansas University. It's at Kansas U. that Michael meets one of his former students Dr. Barbara Wagner, Teri Polo, now a licensed psychologist at the Holly Health School for Wayward Boys who asks him about seeing one of her patients 17 year-old Tommy Caffey, Vincent Kartheiser.
Hesitant at first Michael agrees to talk to Tommy who's about to be released since he's doing so well, psychology and is about to reach his 18th birthday,at the school. Tommy, almost by accident, get's to know Michael's young teenage daughter Shelly who falls in love with him when she meets Tommy at a dance by the railroad yard when he was out on a night-time leave from Holly Heath. Tommy also murdered a young girl Chole, Kim Schraner, earlier that evening when she aggressively come on to him by the deserted railroad cars not knowing what kind of monster the shy sweet and good looking Tommy really is.
Tommy learns all about Shelly's deceased brother Kyle and uses that knowledge to manipulate Michael into , or having his personal psychologist Dr. Wagner, give him a clean bill of health and thus release from the hated, by Tommy, institution.
Tommy had developed a murderous hatred of women, or young girls, who try to be intimate with him because of what happened to his mom when he was a young boy; she was brutally murdered by his dad Joseph Caffey, Sam Bottoms, when he found that she was having an affair with another man. The truth behind Tommy's mom's murder, and what caused his dad to keep it secret all these years, is something that Tommy has been trying to keep locked deep inside his mind and that's the reason for his dangerous psychosis that eventually leads to murder and madness.
Disturbing but thought-provoking movie that has you almost as shocked as Michael is by the time it's over with Tommy skillfully getting under his skin, and sub-conscious, by morphing himself into Michael's son Kyle and, unknowingly, bringing out the truth behind Kyle's death that Michael, by his actions in trying to help his troubled son, had a lot to do with. Michael begins to realize later the reasons for Tommy knowing so much about Kyle, he's been secretly dating his daughter Shelly, and even more shocking the real reason for his mothers murder that shaped Tommy's mind and turned him into the Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde that he became.
The ending of the movie "The Unsaid" is a bit confusing at first with Tommy going wild in his effort to get out of the Holly Health School and almost murdering his psychologist Dr. Wagner and then taking Shelly hostage in the process. But when confronted with the truth by Michael, and seeing that he really needs help, and that a life on the outside will only end with him being either dead or on death row the movie couldn't have ended any other way.
Kyle's dad Michael Hunter, Andy Garcia,who should have known his problems and how serious they were since he's a collage professor in psychology, as well as threats people like Kyle all the time is so devastated by his son's death that he ends up leaving his wife Penny and daughter Selly, Chelsea Fields & Linda Cardellini,to live by himself since he couldn't face them anymore. We later learn the real reason for Kyle's suicide and it shows how right Michael was in feeling guilty about his death and what he had, unconsciously and unknowingly, to do with it.
It's now three years later and Michael is getting his life back together, and putting Kyle's tragic death behind him, as he goes on the lecture circuit and is invited to speak at his alma mater Kansas University. It's at Kansas U. that Michael meets one of his former students Dr. Barbara Wagner, Teri Polo, now a licensed psychologist at the Holly Health School for Wayward Boys who asks him about seeing one of her patients 17 year-old Tommy Caffey, Vincent Kartheiser.
Hesitant at first Michael agrees to talk to Tommy who's about to be released since he's doing so well, psychology and is about to reach his 18th birthday,at the school. Tommy, almost by accident, get's to know Michael's young teenage daughter Shelly who falls in love with him when she meets Tommy at a dance by the railroad yard when he was out on a night-time leave from Holly Heath. Tommy also murdered a young girl Chole, Kim Schraner, earlier that evening when she aggressively come on to him by the deserted railroad cars not knowing what kind of monster the shy sweet and good looking Tommy really is.
Tommy learns all about Shelly's deceased brother Kyle and uses that knowledge to manipulate Michael into , or having his personal psychologist Dr. Wagner, give him a clean bill of health and thus release from the hated, by Tommy, institution.
Tommy had developed a murderous hatred of women, or young girls, who try to be intimate with him because of what happened to his mom when he was a young boy; she was brutally murdered by his dad Joseph Caffey, Sam Bottoms, when he found that she was having an affair with another man. The truth behind Tommy's mom's murder, and what caused his dad to keep it secret all these years, is something that Tommy has been trying to keep locked deep inside his mind and that's the reason for his dangerous psychosis that eventually leads to murder and madness.
Disturbing but thought-provoking movie that has you almost as shocked as Michael is by the time it's over with Tommy skillfully getting under his skin, and sub-conscious, by morphing himself into Michael's son Kyle and, unknowingly, bringing out the truth behind Kyle's death that Michael, by his actions in trying to help his troubled son, had a lot to do with. Michael begins to realize later the reasons for Tommy knowing so much about Kyle, he's been secretly dating his daughter Shelly, and even more shocking the real reason for his mothers murder that shaped Tommy's mind and turned him into the Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde that he became.
The ending of the movie "The Unsaid" is a bit confusing at first with Tommy going wild in his effort to get out of the Holly Health School and almost murdering his psychologist Dr. Wagner and then taking Shelly hostage in the process. But when confronted with the truth by Michael, and seeing that he really needs help, and that a life on the outside will only end with him being either dead or on death row the movie couldn't have ended any other way.
A "must-see", just to witness the struggle
celine198426 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
'A shrink trying to save a psycho kid,' one would say about The Unsaid because it seems slightly so. It is about a psychiatrist called Michael Hunter whose son commits suicide. After his son's death, Hunter loses his life spirit and stops taking patients. He feels guilty of his son's tragic death and never overcomes it. One day, one of his former students asks him to take a look at a case of a boy, who has a corrupted past. Dr Hunter handles the case of this boy who refuses to be in peace with his past. The boy reminds Hunter of his dead son and this is a challenge for him: he needs to be able to put aside his feelings for his son and handle this patent. This is a story of a father and a psychiatrist struggling to overcome his guilt about the death of his son.
This film is full of emotions and the tension increases towards the end. I think it is a 'must see' for the sake of the passion put into this work. If you are a real movie-goer, do not miss it!
Andy Garcia (Hunter) has an impressive performance in this movie. He is very realistic as the man of the struggles.
The Unsaid has an amazing soundtrack, which is speaks to you even if you have not seen the film.
It has been three days that I have seen this movie and I am still thinking about it. You feel such sympathy towards Dr. Hunter that you can not get it over with. It has a nice scenario, I must admit: there are unpredictable scenes which make you keep thinking ' It can't be true!'
This film is full of emotions and the tension increases towards the end. I think it is a 'must see' for the sake of the passion put into this work. If you are a real movie-goer, do not miss it!
Andy Garcia (Hunter) has an impressive performance in this movie. He is very realistic as the man of the struggles.
The Unsaid has an amazing soundtrack, which is speaks to you even if you have not seen the film.
It has been three days that I have seen this movie and I am still thinking about it. You feel such sympathy towards Dr. Hunter that you can not get it over with. It has a nice scenario, I must admit: there are unpredictable scenes which make you keep thinking ' It can't be true!'
Middle of the Road
reubenh02214 January 2014
Direct to video release produced and starring Andy Garcia. Also starring Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) and Linda Cadellini (Freaks and Geeks).
Definitely a melodrama, slow moving but with some interesting plot points. Vincent Kartheiser is good as the troubled young man, playing both creepy and vulnerable. A young Linda Cardellini is beautiful as always and as anyone who saw Freaks and Geeks knows is excellent as portraying a realistic teenager. She also sings a song. Andy Garcia is a bit subdued but realistic enough in the main role.
Overall it's fairly middling. Overly melodramatic at times and the ending is poor. Honestly I enjoyed it mostly because of seeing a few more famous actor's (Kartheiser and Cardellini)in an early role.
It's a 2:00 AM on a cable kind of a movie. Not terrible, but not exactly good
Definitely a melodrama, slow moving but with some interesting plot points. Vincent Kartheiser is good as the troubled young man, playing both creepy and vulnerable. A young Linda Cardellini is beautiful as always and as anyone who saw Freaks and Geeks knows is excellent as portraying a realistic teenager. She also sings a song. Andy Garcia is a bit subdued but realistic enough in the main role.
Overall it's fairly middling. Overly melodramatic at times and the ending is poor. Honestly I enjoyed it mostly because of seeing a few more famous actor's (Kartheiser and Cardellini)in an early role.
It's a 2:00 AM on a cable kind of a movie. Not terrible, but not exactly good
Garcia shines in well-acted, well-paced thriller
LunarPoise10 January 2009
A leading psychiatrist has his world turned upside down by a tragic family event. He shuns patients, until being drawn back by a young man who witnessed his father kill his mother, but seems strangely unaffected by the event.
A great script that respects the audience, leaving a lot of information off-screen. When the story moves forward a few years and Garcia and his wife have separated, we fill in the blanks automatically and never have to be told why it happened. Tommy turns up with a car, and we know fine well how he got it, some despicable act cleverly left to our imaginations. Tommy is astoundingly, creepily normal given his circumstances, until his psychosis explodes suddenly. After that he tries in vain to get it back in the box. Garcia has never been better, every inch the grief-stricken father, his expressions nuanced and painful. He handles his 'revelation' in a prison scene near the end with aplomb.
The one downside is a maudlin, overbearing score that draws too much attention to itself.
This is a film that deserves to be better known. Thrillers with this kind of plot seldom have such multi-layered characters, or believable families and settings. An intelligent, rewarding film that I look forward to watching again.
A great script that respects the audience, leaving a lot of information off-screen. When the story moves forward a few years and Garcia and his wife have separated, we fill in the blanks automatically and never have to be told why it happened. Tommy turns up with a car, and we know fine well how he got it, some despicable act cleverly left to our imaginations. Tommy is astoundingly, creepily normal given his circumstances, until his psychosis explodes suddenly. After that he tries in vain to get it back in the box. Garcia has never been better, every inch the grief-stricken father, his expressions nuanced and painful. He handles his 'revelation' in a prison scene near the end with aplomb.
The one downside is a maudlin, overbearing score that draws too much attention to itself.
This is a film that deserves to be better known. Thrillers with this kind of plot seldom have such multi-layered characters, or believable families and settings. An intelligent, rewarding film that I look forward to watching again.
I'm glad it's better than the average TV-movie about this subject
philip_vanderveken26 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Even though this movie was clearly made with a small budget, it looked very promising to me. I was almost certain that this would be such a movie with a disturbingly realistic subject, that goes right to and through your heart like a knife ... but it didn't. I'm not saying it was a bad movie, it just wasn't that good.
The subject on itself isn't bad though. A young boy is kept in an institution because he saw his mom being murdered by his own father. Since then he hasn't shown much emotions and hasn't spoken about the incident. When Dr. Michael Hunter, a retired college professor and psychologist, examines the boy, he's convinced that they should keep him in the institution a bit longer because he isn't ready for the real world, that he might be a ticking time bomb. He starts working with the boy, in who he sees his own son who committed suicide a few years earlier, and gradually he is able to reveal the horrible truth...
The acting in this movie isn't bad, but it wasn't great either. However, I guess you can't expect any better from a crew without many well-known names (Only Andy Garcia and Teri Polo I had heard of before seeing this movie, the rest of the cast was a complete mystery to me) and it has to be said, I've seen a lot worse in the past. The same can be said about the story which was OK, but not excellent. It was compelling, but somehow I missed something in it. Anyway, I'm already glad that it was a lot better than the average TV-movie that would deal with this subject. But if you want to see an excellent psychological thriller about this subject, than I suggest you watch "Primal Fear". That movie offers about the same story (murder, child abuse,...), but does it in a much better way. I give this movie a 6.5/10. It's worth a watch.
The subject on itself isn't bad though. A young boy is kept in an institution because he saw his mom being murdered by his own father. Since then he hasn't shown much emotions and hasn't spoken about the incident. When Dr. Michael Hunter, a retired college professor and psychologist, examines the boy, he's convinced that they should keep him in the institution a bit longer because he isn't ready for the real world, that he might be a ticking time bomb. He starts working with the boy, in who he sees his own son who committed suicide a few years earlier, and gradually he is able to reveal the horrible truth...
The acting in this movie isn't bad, but it wasn't great either. However, I guess you can't expect any better from a crew without many well-known names (Only Andy Garcia and Teri Polo I had heard of before seeing this movie, the rest of the cast was a complete mystery to me) and it has to be said, I've seen a lot worse in the past. The same can be said about the story which was OK, but not excellent. It was compelling, but somehow I missed something in it. Anyway, I'm already glad that it was a lot better than the average TV-movie that would deal with this subject. But if you want to see an excellent psychological thriller about this subject, than I suggest you watch "Primal Fear". That movie offers about the same story (murder, child abuse,...), but does it in a much better way. I give this movie a 6.5/10. It's worth a watch.
It is easy to see why this was not released to theatres in the US
jaybob4 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
THE UNSAID was made in 2001, was released direct to DVD in 2003.
After reading the synopsis & that Andy Garcia besides starring was also the executive producer,I was planning to criticise the fact it had no theatrical release in the USA.
After viewing this tonight,it is easy to see why it did not have a theatrical run in US theatres.
The movie seems more like made Lifetime TV. Nearly all concerned have extensive television credits, except for Andy Garcia.
Tom Mcloughlin directed nicely, BUT the story & screenplay did him & the film in.
It starts off interestingly for about the first half,seems like it might be OK.THEN predictability & boredom sets in. The ending is almost laughable.
This is a pity tho, as cast does very good work. Andy Garcia gives an excellent performance.
Vincent Kartheiser was only 21 when he made this & definitely has talent. I have not seen any of his many TV roles,I hope he makes other films & becomes a major player. I do not know any of the actresses in this drama,BUT they all are quite good.
The production credits are quite good.If the script was better it would have been a much better film.
Take a chance you may like it better than I.
Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4) 73 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)
After reading the synopsis & that Andy Garcia besides starring was also the executive producer,I was planning to criticise the fact it had no theatrical release in the USA.
After viewing this tonight,it is easy to see why it did not have a theatrical run in US theatres.
The movie seems more like made Lifetime TV. Nearly all concerned have extensive television credits, except for Andy Garcia.
Tom Mcloughlin directed nicely, BUT the story & screenplay did him & the film in.
It starts off interestingly for about the first half,seems like it might be OK.THEN predictability & boredom sets in. The ending is almost laughable.
This is a pity tho, as cast does very good work. Andy Garcia gives an excellent performance.
Vincent Kartheiser was only 21 when he made this & definitely has talent. I have not seen any of his many TV roles,I hope he makes other films & becomes a major player. I do not know any of the actresses in this drama,BUT they all are quite good.
The production credits are quite good.If the script was better it would have been a much better film.
Take a chance you may like it better than I.
Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4) 73 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)
So Real
kathy53538536 September 2003
I just read all the comments. Some loved it. Some were bored with it. Some were, in my opinion, just trying to be supercritic. Here's the thing though. Having worked in the business of Social Work and Counseling, and having experienced the real world of some of these very real problems. . . I would like to simply add the comment that I thought the movie was so real it hurt. I thought the script was very realistic. It never went for the possible "extras" to hype it up. They could easily have let the former professor and his former student have an affair, they didn't. They could easily have played up the manipulation of the boy against the psychologist, they didn't. In all that it's downplayed, the realistic speaking type of performance, we were allowed to see the wretched grief, and anger, and blocked memories that do come out with horror and a bang. It was REAL. It was superb. It was better than that. From script, to acting, to film shots, to editing, from directing, and producing, from casting so perfectly a real woman who looked like a real mother, and even the psychologist's special lecture to the students at the beginning. It was all so real. So real it hurt.
Faultless acting, predictable script. (mild spoilers)
gridoon20 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
It's quite obvious that Andy Garcia, who also co-produced this film, gave his all in the lead role, and the result is an honest, committed, often moving performance. The rest of the cast is also good, and although you could find some faults in the direction, it's generally OK. What is far from OK in this movie is the predictable, conventional script. Not only do we know almost immediately that Kartheizer's character is a psycho, but pretty soon we know WHY he's a psycho, too. I spent most of the time trying to determine which movie this one rips off the most - it's either "Primal Fear" (1996) or just plain "Fear" (also 1996). Trivial observations: Andy Garcia bearded is really hard to take (thankfully he shaves the beard early on); Linda Cardellini looks like Monica Belucci's younger sister (that's a good thing). (**)
A good idea gone wrong mixed with Andy Garcia's mega-beard.
MBunge1 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Have you ever had something that sounded really great in your head but sounded really lame when you said it out loud? That's what this movie is like. You can understand why The Unsaid seemed like a good story in theory. In the actual telling, though, you can see that it's lacking in so many ways even before the film takes a hard left turn into Idiotville at the end.
The movie starts with the suicide of the son of psychologist Michael Hunter (Andy Garcia). The kid is obviously disturbed about something, but Michael and the rest of the family decide that leaving him alone in the house is the greatest idea they've ever heard. The family returns to find him dead in the garage of carbon monoxide poisoning, giving Andy Garcia the chance to yell and carry on the way actors love to do.
Three years later, Michael is now sporting a beard bigger than his head. He writes books on psychology and refuses to see patients. His wife has divorced him and his daughter Shelly (Linda Cardellini) has little use for him. That's when Barbara Lonigan (Teri Polo), an old student of Michael's, asks him to help a young man who is about to age out of the state care system. Tommy Caffey (Vincent Kartheiser) appears to be perfectly normal, something Barbara finds doubtful given that Tommy has never expressed any anger or grief over his father killing Tommy's mother when he was a child. At first Michael refuses but, after shaving off the jungle ecosystem growing on his face, agrees to try and get past Tommy's defenses to the secret pain underneath.
While that's going on, Tommy manages to sneak out of the state home where he lives and meets Shelly. She, like a lot of young women, mistakes his mental and emotional dysfunction for being all deep and soulful. Tommy seems to like Shelly, but he also uses her to find out about Michael's son and then uses that information to manipulate Michael in their impromptu therapy sessions.
I'm sure it's clear how The Unsaid seemed like a good story in theory. You'd think a psychological thriller about a man trying to deal with his own emotional wounds from his son's suicide while helping another troubled young man, only to discover his patient is more violent and crazy than he first thought, would make a great film. It really doesn't, though, and the reasons for that are legion.
Let me just touch on a few. The secret of Tommy's pain is so obvious that you'll guess what it is at least 40 minutes before the movie even hints at it. Sitting around waiting for a film to tell you what you already know always sucks. Making it worse this time is that to reveal Tommy's secret, the story first pulls virtually the same secret about Michael's son completely out of the filmmakers collective ass. There's absolutely NOTHING in the story that foreshadows or supports the revelation about Michael's son, yet without it the movie wouldn't be able to reveal Tommy's secret. I don't want to spoil The Crying Game for you, but imagine if 15 minutes before that film's big discovery, the story played out almost the exact same scenario with another character. That's what The Unsaid is like.
The movie also never decides if Tommy is a good person with psychological problems or a screwed-up bad person. So, sometimes he behaves like someone who needs to be helped and sometimes he's much more malevolent. That may be realistic, psychologically speaking, but it makes for a fictional character that is muddled and a story without a moral compass. The story wants us to be afraid of Tommy because he does terrible things but also empathize with him. Those two emotions don't easily mix.
Vincent Kartheiser does what he can with Tommy, appearing both creepy and vulnerable when the Almighty Plot Hammer requires it. Linda Cardellini and Teri Polo also do fine jobs, but Garcia essentially sleepwalks through his role. He plays Michael Hunter as Generic Thriller Hero, with nothing original at all about the performance.
And then we get the crappy ending. The two most common problems in screenplays are having a great beginning and ending but no middle, and having a great buildup but an ending that stinks on ice. The Unsaid is definitely the latter. I am not exaggerating when I say that after trying to be a psychological thriller, it's like the film simply gives up and morphs into a Steven Seagal flick, complete with car chase and armed standoff. I half expected Michael Hunter to sprout a pony tail and start karate chopping people.
Finally, let me note that this film is very slow. I mean this .movie .is .very .slow. If you can't get to sleep some night, watching The Unsaid would work better than a glass of warm milk.
This movie isn't so aggressively horrible that you'll want to throw something at your TV. There are just many better examples of this genre that you should be watching instead.
The movie starts with the suicide of the son of psychologist Michael Hunter (Andy Garcia). The kid is obviously disturbed about something, but Michael and the rest of the family decide that leaving him alone in the house is the greatest idea they've ever heard. The family returns to find him dead in the garage of carbon monoxide poisoning, giving Andy Garcia the chance to yell and carry on the way actors love to do.
Three years later, Michael is now sporting a beard bigger than his head. He writes books on psychology and refuses to see patients. His wife has divorced him and his daughter Shelly (Linda Cardellini) has little use for him. That's when Barbara Lonigan (Teri Polo), an old student of Michael's, asks him to help a young man who is about to age out of the state care system. Tommy Caffey (Vincent Kartheiser) appears to be perfectly normal, something Barbara finds doubtful given that Tommy has never expressed any anger or grief over his father killing Tommy's mother when he was a child. At first Michael refuses but, after shaving off the jungle ecosystem growing on his face, agrees to try and get past Tommy's defenses to the secret pain underneath.
While that's going on, Tommy manages to sneak out of the state home where he lives and meets Shelly. She, like a lot of young women, mistakes his mental and emotional dysfunction for being all deep and soulful. Tommy seems to like Shelly, but he also uses her to find out about Michael's son and then uses that information to manipulate Michael in their impromptu therapy sessions.
I'm sure it's clear how The Unsaid seemed like a good story in theory. You'd think a psychological thriller about a man trying to deal with his own emotional wounds from his son's suicide while helping another troubled young man, only to discover his patient is more violent and crazy than he first thought, would make a great film. It really doesn't, though, and the reasons for that are legion.
Let me just touch on a few. The secret of Tommy's pain is so obvious that you'll guess what it is at least 40 minutes before the movie even hints at it. Sitting around waiting for a film to tell you what you already know always sucks. Making it worse this time is that to reveal Tommy's secret, the story first pulls virtually the same secret about Michael's son completely out of the filmmakers collective ass. There's absolutely NOTHING in the story that foreshadows or supports the revelation about Michael's son, yet without it the movie wouldn't be able to reveal Tommy's secret. I don't want to spoil The Crying Game for you, but imagine if 15 minutes before that film's big discovery, the story played out almost the exact same scenario with another character. That's what The Unsaid is like.
The movie also never decides if Tommy is a good person with psychological problems or a screwed-up bad person. So, sometimes he behaves like someone who needs to be helped and sometimes he's much more malevolent. That may be realistic, psychologically speaking, but it makes for a fictional character that is muddled and a story without a moral compass. The story wants us to be afraid of Tommy because he does terrible things but also empathize with him. Those two emotions don't easily mix.
Vincent Kartheiser does what he can with Tommy, appearing both creepy and vulnerable when the Almighty Plot Hammer requires it. Linda Cardellini and Teri Polo also do fine jobs, but Garcia essentially sleepwalks through his role. He plays Michael Hunter as Generic Thriller Hero, with nothing original at all about the performance.
And then we get the crappy ending. The two most common problems in screenplays are having a great beginning and ending but no middle, and having a great buildup but an ending that stinks on ice. The Unsaid is definitely the latter. I am not exaggerating when I say that after trying to be a psychological thriller, it's like the film simply gives up and morphs into a Steven Seagal flick, complete with car chase and armed standoff. I half expected Michael Hunter to sprout a pony tail and start karate chopping people.
Finally, let me note that this film is very slow. I mean this .movie .is .very .slow. If you can't get to sleep some night, watching The Unsaid would work better than a glass of warm milk.
This movie isn't so aggressively horrible that you'll want to throw something at your TV. There are just many better examples of this genre that you should be watching instead.
Its so good that it hurt me.
doru-88 June 2005
If you are a father, and you lose a son you will find this motion picture a little to hard to endure 'till the end of it. A good script, directed almost perfectly. I watch it once and i will always remember as i remember my child. The music was i may say, everything ... Actors doing such a great job... Andy Garcia playing so well that you may think that is not a movie but a Real TV story. A drama who can keep you with the eyes on it 'till the end. You'll never know what its gonna happened next. Dunno if i wanna watch it again. It was a movie that made me cry... something that its almost impossible for me. Maybe i'm a not a good person to comment this movie, because some of what happened there i lived and its hard to be equidistant, but it moved me so bad.
Kinda cheesy cinematography but the unexpected darkness makes up for it
UniqueParticle15 April 2019
Decent; not as good as others make it seem, although I'm not a father or a counselor, I did enjoy the heart felt bits quite a lot & it's got a great cast. It was filmed in a way that could be better as a TV movie or documentary, which makes sense because the director did that previously. Pretty good movie overall; I relate to some of the depressing emotions too.
Another crappy straight to video thriller - SPOILERS
jhs3926 May 2003
Warning: Spoilers
The Unsaid is slow and predictable, barely even qualifying as a functional thriller as it seems more interested in piquing the interest of bored housewives who think they're experts on psychology because they watch Oprah and Dr Phil on a daily basis. I wouldn't question this movie's earnestness, but good intentions are no substitute for a smart script, something this movie is sorely lacking. Early scenes with therapists not wanting to let their patient out on his 18th birthday seem strange since there's no indication that the kid has been anything other than a model resident of the youth home. But the audience knows there's something wrong with the kid or there wouldn't be a movie, would there? Rather than take the audience for a ride the movie here has to constantly catch up to the viewer, a backwards way of making a thriller, unless you don't actually want to generate any suspense. An early scene where Thomas the patient flips out violently after being touched by an extremely hot, sexually agressive young woman gives away the fact that Thomas was sexually molested as a child, although like a bad poker player who shows his cards but figures nobody was really paying attention anyway the filmmakers seem to think the audience will react with something other than complete indifference or a loud duh when they finally pull the molestation card out about forty minutes later. Maybe if your brother made movie this you could act surprised out of politeness, but if you're not a relative what's the point. Acting is variable: Andy Garcia brings sincerity and dramatic weight to his portrayal, navigating the hokey cutaways to his suicide son during sessions with the current patient. Terri Polo, who I have to admit to liking pretty much just in one movie, Quick, is fine here through she seems to be channelling Laurie Linney. Vincent Kartheiser who was so damned annoying on the last two seasons of Angel isn't much more impressive here. I'm at the point where I hope I'll never see this guy again. And then there's the daughter played by Linda Cardellini. She seems to have some of the worst man-instincts that a girl could possibly have, moving on from a bullying neanderthal with all the charm of a rapist on his night off and on to deeply disturbed Thomas who has already murdered one one of her friends. This girl needs help.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to sit through this movie, but if you're a fan of Lifetime Movies, in-your-face earnestness and movies where the upper middle class hero finds love and redemption, then, hey, maybe this is the movie for you. Just don't expect any nicities like suspense.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to sit through this movie, but if you're a fan of Lifetime Movies, in-your-face earnestness and movies where the upper middle class hero finds love and redemption, then, hey, maybe this is the movie for you. Just don't expect any nicities like suspense.
A Gripping Plot Full of Surprises: Don't Read Too Much Before You See It!
museumofdave9 April 2013
This is a surprising movie that sneaks up on the viewer in many ways--starting off with a bang and never lapsing into self-indulgence or violence for it's own sake; Andy Garcia, who produced the film, obviously cares about his part and surrounded himself with actors who felt likewise, the entire cast convincing in a combination of teen problem film crossed with a psychological thriller. It is also a film about family problems, and I found it never trivial and frequently a nail-biter.
I'd never heard of this film, and would stress, with others who have written about it, that if you're thinking about watching it, you avoid written material about the plot: the surprises are half the fun!
I'd never heard of this film, and would stress, with others who have written about it, that if you're thinking about watching it, you avoid written material about the plot: the surprises are half the fun!
keeps lingering in your mind for a while...
entermor17 May 2001
The movie in itself has a solid story. Andy Garcia is Michael Hunter a psychiatrist who loses his son by suicide. That leaves him devastated for three years, divorcing his wife and giving not the proper attention to his daughter. (We're all human, right?) By incident he gets a patient that reminds him of his son. This kid seems to be OK, but he has a troubled past. He will be released in a few weeks and Hunter must find out if that is correct. We as viewers no pretty soon, that it is not and hope that Hunter finds out before the deadline as well...
It may not seem as original and maybe it isn't, but I am still thinking about it, 12 hours after I saw it and personally I think that is great in this era of popcorn films...
Other aspects that are part of a movie, like lightning and acting are really great!! Vincent Kartheiser was probably cast because of this eyes, but he really gives a chilling performance.
It may not seem as original and maybe it isn't, but I am still thinking about it, 12 hours after I saw it and personally I think that is great in this era of popcorn films...
Other aspects that are part of a movie, like lightning and acting are really great!! Vincent Kartheiser was probably cast because of this eyes, but he really gives a chilling performance.
Disturbing but worth watching.
aramo113 April 2004
Based on R1 DVD.
After checking with IMDb I watched Unsaid with low expectations. Fortunately the film appears to be underrated at least in my eyes. Garcia and Kartheiser give strong performances and not withstanding an occasional weakness in a script that favours the 'girls do dumb things' school of thought the movie moves along at a good pace.
During the directors commentary McLoughlin notes that Americans have a much tougher time with the big secret than Europeans. Perhaps this accounts for the weak IMDb rating.
Well worth watching, 7/10.
After checking with IMDb I watched Unsaid with low expectations. Fortunately the film appears to be underrated at least in my eyes. Garcia and Kartheiser give strong performances and not withstanding an occasional weakness in a script that favours the 'girls do dumb things' school of thought the movie moves along at a good pace.
During the directors commentary McLoughlin notes that Americans have a much tougher time with the big secret than Europeans. Perhaps this accounts for the weak IMDb rating.
Well worth watching, 7/10.
A Journey Into Deep-Buried Secrets
jcanettis12 November 2005
The title of the film is a perfect depiction of what the story is about: "The Unsaid" is a journey full of agony and tension, into the deep-buried and untold secrets lurking in the hearts of Tommy Caffey (Kartheiser) and his therapist, Dr. Michael Hunter (Garcia).
Dr. Hunter, who has not completely recovered from the shock of his son's Kyle (Blumas) suicide, is persuaded by a former student of his, Dr. Wagner (Polo), to take the case of a seemingly normal adolescent, Tommy. The young boy, who in the past suffered a deeply traumatic experience by watching his father kill his mother, initially gets along well with his new therapist; moreover, Dr. Hunter himself seems to draw comfort from the boy's presence, as he reminds him of his lost son. However, things gradually become more complicated, as Tommy and Shelly (Cordellini), the daughter of Dr. Hunter, meet and become fond of each other; moreover, Tommy's case is not as simple as it first seemed...
The film portrays three troubled characters: Kyle, Tommy, and Hunter himself. The performances by the respective actors, namely Blumas, Kartheiser, and Garcia, are simply superb. Although one might expect such A-level acting by a star of Andy Garcia's caliber, it is positively surprising and very heartening to watch young actors doing such a good job. Cordellini is also very convincing as Hunter's detached and confused daughter, while the rest of the cast remains on a generally satisfactory level.
McLoughlin's direction is balanced and well-executed, building up the tension when he should, but without resorting to needless exaggerations.
"The Unsaid" is overall a solid film that studies the secrets buried inside the human soul. 7/10.
Dr. Hunter, who has not completely recovered from the shock of his son's Kyle (Blumas) suicide, is persuaded by a former student of his, Dr. Wagner (Polo), to take the case of a seemingly normal adolescent, Tommy. The young boy, who in the past suffered a deeply traumatic experience by watching his father kill his mother, initially gets along well with his new therapist; moreover, Dr. Hunter himself seems to draw comfort from the boy's presence, as he reminds him of his lost son. However, things gradually become more complicated, as Tommy and Shelly (Cordellini), the daughter of Dr. Hunter, meet and become fond of each other; moreover, Tommy's case is not as simple as it first seemed...
The film portrays three troubled characters: Kyle, Tommy, and Hunter himself. The performances by the respective actors, namely Blumas, Kartheiser, and Garcia, are simply superb. Although one might expect such A-level acting by a star of Andy Garcia's caliber, it is positively surprising and very heartening to watch young actors doing such a good job. Cordellini is also very convincing as Hunter's detached and confused daughter, while the rest of the cast remains on a generally satisfactory level.
McLoughlin's direction is balanced and well-executed, building up the tension when he should, but without resorting to needless exaggerations.
"The Unsaid" is overall a solid film that studies the secrets buried inside the human soul. 7/10.
Andy is the master of the show!
gazineo-13 September 2002
Reasonable psychologic thriller where a trouble-minded young man tries to prove to his personal social assistant that he is mentally able to return to social life. In this way, he finds a famous doctor (Garcia) who loses his own son and is trying to start over again. The premise is not original and the director fails to estabilish a tense pulse over the narrative that goes on with few gritting moments. Garcia is correct as usual and Kartheiser is outstanding in the role of Tommy. I give this a 06 (six).
Excellent thriller with excellent acting
mjordon6 December 2004
I have seen a lot of movies with actors/actresses playing psychiatrists and how they are portrayed. Most of them are quite horrible, a few have a clue, but are saying things, psychiatrists in the field wouldn't say under any circumstances. However, the title THE UNSAID is; if not perfect, very close to it. Andy Garcia again pulls off what I feel maybe the hardest thing to pull off; a professional actor being a professional psychiatrist. I think the acting on every ones part was superb as well as the lighting and make up. I think a lot of detail was put in things as simple as sitting in a chair, when to lean back, when to lean forward. An excellent movie, I highly recommend it.
"what's the true meaning of this script?"
jorrit-gerritsen13 January 2003
" I just don't understand what the director wants to tell us. The script has an awful lot of gaps and is not very convincing. For example, why would this physical disturbed patient try to mess up with his doctor and his daughter while he can get out of the institution in two weeks? It just don't make sense and it's all to obvious. The film is also a bit slow and misses the tension of an exciting thriller. Good old Andy is ok though."
Booooring
elektronika14 September 2002
I hate movies where you know the answer after 10 minutes. Why couldn't the director leave something for the imagination? The movie could have been interesting, but it is completely destroyed by some weird need to underline all of the character's actions, so you are never left to think and wonder, just fed with 1 hour and 50 minutes of boring psychological drama.
Worth watching
edcarpediem5 July 2003
There are many kinds of thriller/drama movies.
Some have the ability to confuse and bore you to death during most of the time, with just some good twist in the end, which "should" compensate for the "lentish", sacrificing hour before that. And many overrated movies have that formula, which only works because you become so numb as you watch it, that you feel very surprised by the final outcome of the plot, and then believe that it was such a terrific film.
Others are the exact opposite, meaning that they have a great starting point, but the story gets duller and duller until the final result becomes very predictable. And so many other variations of this genre may arise.
With `The Unsaid', however, you can expect to be tied to your seat the whole time as the plot develops. It has a dramatic starting point, a powerful and constant *thrilling* middle section and well, I won't refer the ending because, believe it, if you start watching this flick, you won't go away until you see the whole thing. It's that good! But that's me, I personally like movies that grab your attention from the start and make you not even take bathroom breaks or answer to your cell-phone calls. What about you?
The acting by Andy Garcia was brilliant; he really got inside his character. Only with a role like this could he show his true dramatic acting skills, and was followed very well by the rest of the cast. The directing was ok, and had some notorious influence on our understanding and dramatic effect of the scenes. It was done the way it's supposed to, clean and sober, even in action sequences. I won't refer to the story or the subjects it's about, since none of that is necessary here. This is a review, not a `plot outline'.
The bottom line is this: it's a definitely worth watching film! And if you're not entertained during and pleased after it, well. admit it: You watched some movie other than `The Unsaid'.
Some have the ability to confuse and bore you to death during most of the time, with just some good twist in the end, which "should" compensate for the "lentish", sacrificing hour before that. And many overrated movies have that formula, which only works because you become so numb as you watch it, that you feel very surprised by the final outcome of the plot, and then believe that it was such a terrific film.
Others are the exact opposite, meaning that they have a great starting point, but the story gets duller and duller until the final result becomes very predictable. And so many other variations of this genre may arise.
With `The Unsaid', however, you can expect to be tied to your seat the whole time as the plot develops. It has a dramatic starting point, a powerful and constant *thrilling* middle section and well, I won't refer the ending because, believe it, if you start watching this flick, you won't go away until you see the whole thing. It's that good! But that's me, I personally like movies that grab your attention from the start and make you not even take bathroom breaks or answer to your cell-phone calls. What about you?
The acting by Andy Garcia was brilliant; he really got inside his character. Only with a role like this could he show his true dramatic acting skills, and was followed very well by the rest of the cast. The directing was ok, and had some notorious influence on our understanding and dramatic effect of the scenes. It was done the way it's supposed to, clean and sober, even in action sequences. I won't refer to the story or the subjects it's about, since none of that is necessary here. This is a review, not a `plot outline'.
The bottom line is this: it's a definitely worth watching film! And if you're not entertained during and pleased after it, well. admit it: You watched some movie other than `The Unsaid'.
For the most part, the movie was enjoyable.
Jaye025 September 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I really enjoyed THE UNSAID a lot due especially to its psychological edge. I think the actors did a great job "becoming" the characters, especially Trevor Blumas who played the son and Vincent Karthieser who played Tommy. Both of them were able to seem so different and also seem so close to being the same simultaneously--which helps complicate matters for Garcia's character.
In the plot, however, I was a tad disappointed with the writers because the story line seemed to jump around a lot in an extremely unorganized fashion which got a little annoying.
*A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD*
I read some comments that have related the sexual abuse of Michael Hunter's son by his psychiatrist with homosexuality, and while I find it an interesting point of view that were Hunter's son in a relationship with an older woman would he have seem less disturbed by it, I can't help but think that it wasn't really what the movie was getting at.
My reasons for that assumption is taking into account the relationship b/w the man and Hunter's son and the woman and Tommy. The man was Kyle's psychiatrist and the woman was Tommy's mother. And I think the roles both those characters play to the boys is something that seems to be overlooked. I think the movie is really focusing on the fact that both of the adults were in roles of authority, which means they took advantage of the trust and level of dependence both Kyle and Tommy had between them. And looking at it from that point of view I think Michael Hunter's feelings of disturbance are justified.
*SPOILERS ENDED*
In the plot, however, I was a tad disappointed with the writers because the story line seemed to jump around a lot in an extremely unorganized fashion which got a little annoying.
*A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD*
I read some comments that have related the sexual abuse of Michael Hunter's son by his psychiatrist with homosexuality, and while I find it an interesting point of view that were Hunter's son in a relationship with an older woman would he have seem less disturbed by it, I can't help but think that it wasn't really what the movie was getting at.
My reasons for that assumption is taking into account the relationship b/w the man and Hunter's son and the woman and Tommy. The man was Kyle's psychiatrist and the woman was Tommy's mother. And I think the roles both those characters play to the boys is something that seems to be overlooked. I think the movie is really focusing on the fact that both of the adults were in roles of authority, which means they took advantage of the trust and level of dependence both Kyle and Tommy had between them. And looking at it from that point of view I think Michael Hunter's feelings of disturbance are justified.
*SPOILERS ENDED*
Nothing Special
AngelHonesty5 August 2021
I was definitely expecting more and found myself a little disappointed. Andy Garcia is what truly holds the film together, he is a great actor. The story was interesting with a splash of mystery at the beginning, but soon took a sinister turn that became predictable. It felt like they were trying to add something interesting to a film that had a simple story/plot to spice it up, but instead fell short. Entertaining, but far from a masterpiece.
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