Unthinkable (2019) User Reviews

Doing What Is Right

[lavatch · 5/10 · 2 August 2021]

There was a revealing moment in "Unthinkable" (a.k.a., "Caretakers") when the young medical student named Jones Berg asks his older brother Miles for the translation of a phrase in Latin. The phrase is rendered, "Do what is right, not what is easy." That could be the motto for young Jones.

This slow-paced film had an intriguing conceit about the vital importance of genuine care on the part of medical practitioners. Jones works in a cynical world of jaded health care providers who apparently have never heard of the Hippocratic oath.

Jones brings a breath of fresh air into the life his patient Chris Williams, a former ambassador to Syria, whose life changed when he witnessed the murder of his daughter. The ambassador will not be eligible for a heart transplant unless Jones is able to bring him out of his silent funk to speak and cooperate with the medical personnel.

It seemed very contrived when Jones suddenly moves into the home of the Williams home apparently to take care of Williams' wife. Yet she seems just as as stubbord to reach as her nearly comatose husband. Young Jones comes to realize that something is off.

The "payoff" of the filmmakers was the most unpleasant plot twist imaginable. Jones learns too late that he is being set up to be the heart donor of Chris Williams. By the end of the film, it is unclear if Jones' brother Miles or the kind nurse Lucy will figure out what happened to poor Jones.

By the closing moments of the film, the idealistic creed of "doing what is right" has been turned into the disgusting theme of "a sucker is born every day." Unthinkable indeed!!!

Interesting if you don't think about it too much

[justahunch-70549 · 5/10 · 19 February 2023]

Low budget oddity written, directed and starring George Loomis, a nice looking young man who gives a pretty decent performance as a med student who gets too involved with a patient for his own good. For a while I was under the impression that I was seeing a film about the ethical dilemma of how close medical personnel should get to their patients, but it turns out to be something quite different than that and while intriguing, I'm not sure a lot of it is very logical or makes sense, though I must admit it did leave me with a lot of questions and puzzlements to mull over, but the more I thought about it, the less logical it became. Apparently, this was originally titled Caretakers. Not at all sure why the title change, but Caretakers seems a bit more appropriate.

Caregivers? Or Caretakers? Intriguing...

[BrittanyChristine · 21 September 2018]

Starts you wondering, keeps you thinking, has you guessing, until the very end.

Who gave this more than 2/10

[rich-maggie · 2/10 · 13 October 2020]

The only element mildly compelling about this film is the 3 attractive nurses, hence the above 1 out of 10 rating.

Is the person hiring the cast being paid? Are the actors paid? Surely they've paid the person hiring? If not then the world has gone mad.

Whoever rated this film 3 or above should have their rating allowances revoked, along with their reproductive organs.

Interesting ending

[AnnPanders · 3/10 · 7 December 2022]

I admit that I was napping through most of this film. The lead actor was horrible, and his character wasn't likeable anyway.. It was all just "Sir, you need to get your strength.....you need the transplant...." For like two hours. The character said and did things that seemed odd and was just not very natural.

The ending was interesting. I really had no sympathy for Jones. He was just obnoxious by the end. He complains that his patient's wife doesn't come to the hospital, to her! Umm, kid, know your boundaries. Respect others'. Maybe the wife can't bear the grief of seeing her husband that way. So drop it and respect her wishes. Frankly, I was happy to see the ending.

Slow burn. Great payoff

[snoopygirl · 8/10 · 18 January 2021]

I'm not even sure how this movie ended up in my watch list but I'm glad it did.

I don't want to give anything away but I can tell you this is a story which doesn't go where you expect. Jones, as played by writer - director George Loomis is a character who is looking for a meaning in his work. A medical student working his hours and he is the real star here. He's surrounded by a cast of competent B and C list faces you've seen before. His character is both earnest and a little lost.

The whole movie feels like it occupies a territory in between thriller, indie and medical drama and, although clearly done on a fairly low budget , manages into occupy the space well.

I see that other reviews are split between 10 stars and very low ... I'm giving it 8. It is a worthy first feature. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Mr Loomis writes next.

Thinking this movie is great based on other reviews? Well, read mine also..

[janlind999 · 3/10 · 7 November 2020]

I feel I might have given this movie a star too much.. It's somewhere between 2 and 4 (out of 10, of course). Most of all those high rating reviews that has been given to this movie is, in my mind, probably "fake" (=not very honest). That's my opinion and what I believe anyway. Those high ratings and reviews made me watch this one - so because of those high rated reviews I feel that I have to warn others from thinking this movie is very, very good. It's not. Don't trust all those other high reviews is what I would like to say..

Good, fun movie with surprises

[jcrowe-58325 · 9/10 · 6 July 2021]

Ok.. I didn't know where this film was going but I was interested to see. Sure enough, it really delivered and where it went took me by surprise. The acting was good and no one gave too much away. Usually I can guess who villains are or who is going to do what in movies like this, but I was usually wrong watching this. That was fun.

Even though I was into it the whole time, I wanted more action sequences. That would have rounded it out more but it still really took me by surprise which I appreciate because that's rare. Giving a higher score as I don't think they had the budget to add more attack scenes/action. Good fun movie.

Good story & Replace the DP

[lobrown83 · 7/10 · 27 May 2022]

Enjoyed watching UNTHINKABLE and loved the storyline. The DP should have been replaced. Why didn't Talbot pull focus? All of the shots were so blurry!! Loomis is one to watch tho.

Terrible!!!

[revbish-3 · 2/10 · 26 August 2021]

One of the slowest, worst movies I've ever seen. The acting by most of the so-called actors is awful, especially that of the "star", George Loomis. Christopher Cousins is OK, and a couple of the others are OK, but the majority are simply awful, with unrealistic situations and a totally unbelievable script. Don't waste your time on this film.

Great

[sjanders-86430 · 10/10 · 2 August 2021]

George Loomis stars in this unique story of a transplant. He gets too involved with his patients to the point where he helps the wife of a transplant patient by staying with her during the process. Finally a heart becomes available, but it isn't working. Then Loomis discovers a file in the wife's house on him. He is the target heart. He has the same blood type. He has been carefully set up.

I may be naive but this is believable. People with big bucks like this patient go to ANY lengths to get a good organ. I think this is a well done thriller of the kind I haven't seen before.

Not only unthinkable but extremely disturbing!!!

[julianrichmondva · 3/10 · 22 August 2021]

I found this movie to be extremely disturbing, especially the way it ended. It left me wondering just how many people actually knew what was going on with the ambassador and his wife to actually manage to get this young man (Jones) to become so involved in his case. Although I gave one rater's review a thumbs down because they recommended it so highly, I do have to agree with him that Jones did a lot of things that most "caregivers" wouldn't do, but that his "heart was in the right place." The fact that he had been working with hospice patients before the ambassador, and that his father, a news reporter, had died in a car bombing incident in Syria for which he felt extreme guilt due to his not showing up before his father went on this trip because he had gone out partying and was too drunk, made him extremely susceptible to those who had issues with both death and family not "showing up."

What I want to know, is just how many of those who were on staff, knew what was really going on with the ambassador and just how vulnerable Jones was when it came to his involvement. For instance, Dr. Sherry Cooper (Vivica A. Fox) was the one that got him transferred over to the transplant ward right on the heels of him losing a hospice patient who had made up having a close family connection and wound up having no one. And then there was Dr. Leigh Waters who appeared to be in charge of the transplant unit. And why did nurse Lucy Clark wind up with Jones' box of stuff that he'd kept after his hospice patients died (specifically the last one before he was transferred). They knew each other from one of their med school labs but she also seemed to be pretty suspicious about her interest in Jones. Lastly, just before the final scene, when Jones learned that the Williams's knew about his history of sleep walking, and his medications, and about his guilt over not saying goodbye to his father before he left for his assignment in Syria where he was killed, Jones had called and left a VM for his brother, Miles, telling him that the Williams's knew all that history, but then the phone went dead. So when Dr. Cooper was talking to Miles about how good it was that Jones was able to help his last patient, Ambassador Williams, because he had the same blood type, etc., #1, why would his brother, who was a Dr. Himself, be surprised that Jones was a donor, since most Drs. Are, and #2, why didn't he wind up getting that VM message? There were other staff members that seemed to know that Jones got too emotionally involved also, but the ones named above specifically did.

IDK, I just really did not like how it all wound up in the end and found it extremely disturbing and manipulative.

Well written story!!

[T-Schlos · 8/10 · 14 October 2020]

Thr story is well written from beginning to the end! I give the movie not 10 point because of the acting. Other then that, good movie!!

CARETAKERS DOES NOT DISAPPOINT

[lindaoh-80292 · 10/10 · 25 September 2019]

If you are looking for a well-written, superbly acted thriller look no further. I happened upon this film when it was playing the festival circuit to unanimous acclaim. George Loomis has crafted a contemporary thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Loomis writes, directs and stars and shows a keen eye for suspense. The cast is superb, in particular it was great to see Vivica Fox and Christopher Cousins. Yes the ending made me wonder?-what will Loomis and his team come-up with next?

I'm hoping Caretakers gets a wide release, When it comes to your town GO!

Thriller that is Real

[am2star · 10/10 · 19 October 2018]

This movie was screened at the Kansas International Film Festival (KIFF-2018). It is the story of a young medical student that is assigned to care for the Syrian ambassador who was badly beaten while on assignment. There is a mystery as to why the ambassador starts refusing treatment. As the student tries to help motivate the ambassador to accept treatment, he starts finding questionable details with all that are involved. This is a very good mystery-thriller. All of the actors are cast perfectly for their roles. While Vivica A. Fox is probably the best known of the cast, Missi Pyle and Natalia Nogulich both show why they keep showing up in movies and television. While all three are pitch perfect, Nogulich has one of the best roles that she delivers on. Writer-Director George Loomis (Jones) has written a movie that presents "professional people being professional," which gives a realism to the situation that is believable and only aids the story. These are the people that you see in real hospitals, in a story that makes sense.

Excited about Caretakers

[dobbinsmargie · 10/10 · 25 September 2018]

Caretakers is an exciting movie from start to finish. I am very excited about this.

My sister is in care, and I related to the film on many levels. I thought the brothers' relationship was very compelling and relatable.

By the time it kicks into full "thriller" mode, I was already very invested in pretty much all the characters. The ending gave me the chills.

I would recommend this to everyone. I can picture it on HBO or STARZ and I hope Caretakers gets a wide release. Happy I got to see this.

Killer thriller

[derekjameselstro · 10/10 · 31 May 2019]

This film is a suspenseful portrayal of triumphs and pitfalls of human kindness. Its wonderfully acted and shot gorgeously. The twists and turns catch you off guard because of the unwavering commitment you will have in following Loomis' "Jones", whose compassion lulls you into a false sense of security. This film is a ride.

Thriller with a great payoff

[kellysoohoo · 10/10 · 27 September 2019]

Loved this film. it's a fun ride. waiting for it to become available so I can watch it again. support good indie film.

Amazing!

[jillyromero · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

This is a damn good suspense thriller with a real-life tone. Caught it at a recent festival and I look forward to its wide release. So much entertainment value.

Caretakers in Butte, Montana

[twocityfilm · 10/10 · 26 September 2018]

I saw this because I heard what it was about, and I also work in care in Montana. This was a terrific way to bring a lot of what we do to hopefully bigger audiences. Sure, the main character doesn't follow the rules, but I was impressed with how they captured the field overall.

The film is allowing someone who just wants to watch a thriller to learn a lot about hospice, transplants and selection committees along the way. I would have liked to have seen more about the Syria plot but I still loved this film.

Great indie on topical subject matter

[sandradarnell · 10/10 · 8 April 2019]

I enjoyed the plot very much. The subject of organ donation is an ethically complicated one and I enjoyed the twist and turns of the movie around it. I was also very engaged with Jones's trauma-bonding with his patients and attempts to self-medicate with alcohol and OCD style behaviorisms. The ending comes around a bit quickly but I loved and it made a very fitting end to the movie.

Great movie

[rosieflg · 10/10 · 24 October 2018]

One movie that clicked me a soon as saw that thriller.

Edge-of-your-seat fun

[photography-44530 · 10/10 · 18 February 2019]

I just saw this at the Santa Fe Film Festival, where it won Best Film 2019.

Great score. Great story. Great performances. Such a suspenseful film - thrilling all the way through.

I like this thriller very much

[JackMecham · 10/10 · 18 October 2018]

Saw this thriller in Montana.

I went to the screening because I'd heard what Caretakers is about, and I have a medical background.

Jones Berg, as a character, is definitely unprofessional and breaks protocol whenever he wants. But every time I noticed that, the brother character (Miles) chimed in promptly as the voice of reason.

Even though Jones Berg does a lot of things I would never, ever do or considering doing, the character's heart is in the place. The movie always has a voice of reason to steer the viewer back to a highly convincing reality. More importantly, there was not a single moment I lost interest.

I love the world of this movie and I hope it continues to pick up steam through good word-of-mouth. Fantastic ending. 10/10

Pretty okay

[cgp-08703 · 8/10 · 15 April 2022]

The movie was pretty okay - just the ending was a complete and total bummer I wish it was written differently - it builds you up with lots of hopes just for your hopes to be let down for the characters.