Of the films I’ve seen so far at the Sundance Film Festival, “Unexpected” has been my favorite. Starring “How I Met Your Mother’s” Cobie Smulders, the film tells the fictional story of a Chicago high school science teacher who finds out she’s pregnant. Along the way, she learns one of her favorite students is also pregnant. Trying to help her student, the teacher befriends the girl as they follow their own different paths toward motherhood, figuring out what life as a new mom will mean for each of them.
“Unexpected” is a film full of heart and warmth. It’s tender and sweet but also surprisingly funny. The audience in this film laughed more than in some of the comedies I’ve seen at Sundance. And the film felt very realistic. The movie is a slice of life – the main character could be any woman you know. I myself am not a mother or wife, yet I identified with teacher Samantha Abbott. The dilemmas she faced felt authentic and universal to women.
One of her main decisions after learning of her pregnancy is deciding if she wants to be a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. Though it’s a very common choice, the film shined a spotlight on a woman’s dilemma in a way that felt fresh and fun. Instead of presenting a re-hashed cliché, the film’s emphasis on the relationship with the student offered a great tool for helping Abbott understand more about herself, her expectations and what she wanted.
As she counsels her student to continue seeking the education and the life she’d planned before she got pregnant, Abbott begins to realize she isn’t following her own advice. But how realistic is that advice? Can she push toward her former dreams while trying to raise a newborn? Will she be able to do other things in life? Will motherhood be the only thing she’s known for now? She begins to understandably struggle over her identity and how it will change. As she goes out of her way to help her student, the girl shares her own perspective. At times she seems to understand what she wants – and is willing to sacrifice – more than her adult counterpart. So the student becomes the teacher.
Cobie Smulders was great at expressing the many emotions of a new expecting mom. From fear of the unknown to anger and disappointment to pure joy, she portrays the character’s journey beautifully. She is a woman trying to do everything right, but she doesn’t quite know what that means. Abbott’s feelings are always changing, just like her life. And on top of all of this she is dealing with her heightened hormones. She cries at seemingly silly times, but the character’s embarrassment at these emotions made the scenes poignantly touching and sweet. (It is interesting to note that Smulders said at the Q&A that she was actually pregnant during filming.)
I also can’t say enough about newcomer Gail Bean. She gave a phenomenal breakout performance as pregnant student Jasmine – a poor but very bright girl who tackles her life change head-on. The character is levelheaded as she plans ahead – until she is set up for disappointment. When she reaches that point, Bean steals the show, garnering all your attention with an intensity that highlights the pain behind Jasmine’s dashed hopes.
The supporting characters were also identifiable. Serving as a foil to the main character’s journey, their views tended toward the more typical and expected, but they also surprised you. Anders Holm played a loving and supportive father-to-be, trying to deal with his own expectations in addition to his wife’s. His sweet, funny nature almost caught you off guard. And Abbott’s mother, played by “Downtown Abbey’s” Elizabeth McGovern, was a typical mother who wanted the best for her daughter, even when she didn’t express it in the most welcoming way. Just like the main character, these two were struggling with the same dilemmas as any parent or husband would in their situation. So it was easy to find humor in their actions and reactions, even when you didn’t agree with their choices.
The relatability of the topic and the fresh, funny, realistic characters made this picture hit home. I thought the teacher/student relationship was a great vehicle through which to frame the narrative. Though their burgeoning friendship was a little unusual (I did wonder why Abbott didn’t seem to hang out with any adult friends), the plot and script were moving and fun. On one hand you have a film about a teacher investing in a student’s life, while at the same time they’re dealing with identity struggles and life-changing decisions. The two aspects of the film meshed well. For me, this movie was an “unexpected” surprise. I laughed, I cried and I somehow felt represented. When a movie can do that in a situation you have never experienced, you know it’s a winner.
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| Cobie Smulders & Gail Bean at the premiere of "Unexpected." |
