Remember about a decade ago when the internet seemed to turn on Anna Gunn? Not for any good reason, mind you, but rather for the fact that she played a character who understandably became upset when she found out that her husband had been making money from a drug kingpin lifestyle. Since that role, a role we can surely consider the biggest of her career (to date), I have been wanting Gunn to get something else that felt worthy of her acting talent. I may have missed a lot of the projects that she ended up involved with, she has done a lot more TV work over the past nine or ten years, but I was determined to get around to The Apology with an optimistic mindset. Sadly, life got in the way, but I have now finally managed to see it, and I can now recommend it to everyone else.
Gunn plays Darlene Hagen, a recovering alcoholic who is getting everything ready for a family Christmas celebration. It's been a long time since she's done that kind of thing, and things aren't helped by it being the twenty year anniversary of the disappearance of her daughter. At least she has a very helpful neighbour, Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo), but Gretchen soon heads home and leaves Darlene alone with her thoughts, and a stashed bottle of vodka. Thankfully, ex-brother-in-law Jack (Linus Roache) turns up unexpectedly. He has something on his mind though, and it's not just the worry of wondering whether he'll be allowed to attend the official festive celebrations.
The feature debut from writer-director Alison Locke, The Apology is almost a perfect example of how to deliver a small-scale drama that feels much bigger, and more impactful, than it could have been. Locke has written a beautifully-crafted screenplay, she has a good team looking after the visual side of things (cinematographer Jack Caswell and editor Lana Wolverton do their bit to make everything looked polished and more expensive than I suspect it was), and she has two people in the lead roles who are able to deliver the performances that the material deserves.
I would struggle to pick a favourite between Gunn and Roache, and their ongoing conversation throughout the film is absolutely riveting stuff, with both going through a wide range of emotions. Gunn gets to express more pain and anger, which may give her the edge when it comes to critically comparing the acting, but neither cast member drops the ball, or even slightly fumbles. While only onscreen for a few minutes, Garofalo does very well as the third substantial character (although Mary Leeholland and Esmé McSherry both portray Darlene's missing daughter, shown a couple of times, and Zena Leigh Logan fills out the cast list with her fleeting role as an interviewer shown interviewing Darlene in a TV clip).
There are other films I could compare this to, great films, but making those comparisons might give away the direction that this takes. Trust me, this is a harrowing drama that packs a hell of a punch, and it manages to give you the ending that you want, as unlikely as that may seem at various points throughout the second half. I recommend this to anyone who appreciates powerhouse performances and can handle difficult material handled in a way that is unflinching, but also not exploitative. You won't be disappointed, and you may even value the talent of Anna Gunn as much as I do.
8/10
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