Unconditional (2012)

A woman's idyllic life is shattered when her husband is killed in a senseless act of violence. As she prepares to take matters into her own hands, two unexpected encounters begin to change everything.

Director:

Brent McCorkle

Writer:

Brent McCorkle

Stars:

Lynn Collins, Michael Ealy, Bruce McGill

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lynn Collins	...	Samantha Crawford
Michael Ealy	...	Joe Bradford
Bruce McGill	...	Detective Miller
Kwesi Boakye	...	Macon
Diego Klattenhoff	...	Billy
Cedric Pendleton	...	Anthony
Emily Rollins	...	Young Sam
Danielle Lewis	...	Denise
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amanda Bailey	...	Medical Examiner
Michael Beasley	...	Manager
Lynn Becker	...	Elementary School Principal
Jacinte Blankenship	...	Nurse
Steven Brown	...	Snuffy
Claudia Church	...	Emergency room nurse
Rodger D. Eldridge	...	Detective (as Roger D. Eldridge)

Storyline

A woman's world is shattered after her sweetheart Billy is murdered in a random act of violence. After this tragic event she starts to dig around to find the killer of her husband. On her quest she reunites with her childhood best friend Joe who runs an after school program for children in his neighborhood.

---

Plot Keywords:

inner city youth | troubled youth | at risk youth | one word title | written by director | 

---

Taglines:

It's not a dead end if it takes you somewhere you needed to go.

---

Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and mature thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the true events of Joe Bradford, who dedicates his time on helping African American kids that live in the projects to have goals for their lives.

---

Quotes

Samantha Crawford: The storms of life there bound to come, but that maybe even in those storms, in the loneliest time of all, you're never really alone.
Samantha Crawford: Love is the most powerful thing on Earth, I've seen what it can do, and it can do amazing things.
Samantha Crawford: Sometime I imagine a world where everyone knows that love is unconditional, and what a beautiful world it is.
Samantha Crawford: I think Billy had it right, that there's truly enough love to go around, all you have to do is share it.
Samantha Crawford: What if God's love is like the sun, constant and ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.113 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

You're Not Going To Leave Me Here
Written by Abner Ramirez & Will Hill
Performed by Amanda Sudano (as Johnnyswim) and Abner Ramirez (as Johnnyswim)

User Reviews

Great Film!

I am disappointed that this movie did not see better box office ratings. It has many of the hallmarks of great movie-making.

The cinematography is terrific and a lot of thought is given to symbolism in the story.

The opening sequence is riveting; showing three lost souls each experiencing their own trials and turmoil.

A woman, whose husband was murdered, considers suicide in the alley where he was killed.

At the same time, two children are stealing from a store and must flee when spotted by security.

Finally, a man stumbles into his house in great pain.

While each character is suffering his or her trial, a storm is raging outside in the night.

Each character is on his or her own path and must face the storm in his or her own way.

Throughout the movie we learn a great deal about these characters through flashbacks as well as about the joys and hardships that bring each of the characters to where he or she is in the present. We do not know for sure what the fate of any character will be until the end of the movie.

I will warn you that the movie can be a tear jerker.

The movie has a way of capturing the subtlety of nature and its reflection of the human soul in a way that few movies can. The examples I list below are only a few of the many, brilliantly constructed scenes that appear throughout the movie.

A shadow falls on a character who is turning his or her thoughts to darkness and revenge. A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds when a character makes a choice that is generous or brave.

A child...

...heard....

...but off camera...

...simultaneously warns his little sister and the main character NOT to make a choice.

"I wouldn't do that!" his voice calls out.

It is clear to us as viewers, that as far as the child character is concerned, he is only warning his little sister.

But the director makes it clear to us that the warning is somehow meant for BOTH characters.

And now each character must make a choice whether to pursue the action that he or she is considering pursuing.

This very brief, but powerful scene, hints at a hidden unity to the human spirit and whether each character, major or minor, heeds this warning plays a significant part in forwarding the theme of the movie which is that while we have free choice, our choices can lead to devastation, sorrow and ruin or they can lead to enlightenment, joy and success.

And with each choice that a character makes, the cinematographers alter the scenery and the lighting of the surroundings to match the path that each character takes.

I can't offer enough praise to the writers and the cinematographers of this film. They clearly worked together and communicated together from day one of this movie's production.

I never felt, when watching this, that anything was overdone. The movie had the right balance of story, theme and scenery to ensure that the viewer did not come away feeling preached at or advertised to.

I showed this movie to a group of students who have faced numerous trials of their own, whether in school or at home.

They were a bit hard to the idea of the movie at first, but after ten minutes, they were hooked and the hardness in their eyes had vanished.

This movie can speak to anyone going through a trial and I highly recommend it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Firebird

Filming Locations:

Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$525,192, 23 September 2012

Gross USA:

$1,005,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,034,448

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harbinger Media Partners, Veracity Moving Pictures, Free To Love Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color