Every secret takes on a life of its own.
Set against the rugged ranchlands of Wyoming, An Unfinished Life is the story of a modern-day Western family, as stoic as they are divided, learning the true meaning of forgiveness. Robert Redford stars as Einar Gilkyson, a tough-skinned, retired rancher who long ago turned his back on memories. Still in shock from his only son’s death a decade ago, Einar has let his ranch fall into ruin along with his marriage.
Now, Einar spends his days caring only for his hired hand, and last trusted friend, Mitch (Morgan Freeman), who was gravely injured in an encounter with a grizzly bear. Einar intends to live out his days in this heartbroken solitude… until the very person he blames for his son’s accident comes to town: his daughter-in-law Jean (Jennifer Lopez). Jean shows up broke, on the run and with a girl named Griff (newcomer Becca Gardner), who she swears is the granddaughter Einar never knew he had.
Suddenly, Einar’s quiet life is turned upside down as anger and accusations resurface. But slowly, miraculously, 11 year-old Griff’s curiosity about Western life, and her longing for family and a father figure, begin to chip away at the stone that has become Einar’s heart – opening up the way for unexpected connection, adventure, mercy and true reunion.
An Unfinished Life is a story about forgiveness, forgiveness of self and of others. It centers on the intersection of the lives of two sets of people: Einer Gilkyson (Robert Redford) and his hired hand and closest friend, Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who have lived and worked together for forty years on Einer’s ranch in northwestern Wyoming, and Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez), Einer’s daughter-in-law, and her eleven-year-old daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), who are escaping an abusive situation with Jean’s current boyfriend, Gary (Damian Lewis).
About the Production / The Genesis
When screenwriter, essayist and novelist Mark Spragg completed his award-winning memoir, Where Rivers Change Direction, he and his co-writer wife Virginia, discussed writing a film about forgiveness. The team talked over ideas on extended eight-hour road trips from their wilderness home outside Yellowstone National Park.
“We’re both exceedingly captivated by older men, their essential wisdom and their having carried the burden of a very long life. So we started there,” recalls Mark. A former therapist, Virginia notes, “We did an enormous amount of research to legitimize the motivations for women in an abusive or battered situation. We learned that a woman will leave five times before she quits her abuser for good. And the following six months are when she’ll most likely be killed by him.” The statistics were startling.
The couple researched grizzly bear attacks in their area and talked with several people with firsthand knowledge of maulings. “The grizzlies have made a comeback here,” says Mark, who quizzed a doctor to authenticate Mitch’s critical wounds. “We based the action in the screenplay on actual events we’ve seen around here.”
The writers sent the screenplay to their agent where it came to the attention of Producer Kelliann Ladd, who’d already established a relationship with the Spraggs and was an avid admirer of Mark Spragg’s memoir. “The screenplay is very poetic, it’s from another time. It’s about characters, emotion and feeling. Mark touches a place that’s common in all of us,” says Ladd who was so passionate about the project, she joined forces with her father, Alan Ladd Jr. to help produce the picture.
“When Laddie asked us to make a wish list for a director, Lasse Hallström was at the top of our list,” says Mark Spragg. Producer Alan Ladd Jr. concurs, “I think it’s a strong family drama about forgiveness. How a family can be so torn apart by a tragedy and then brought back together again is a very appealing theme,” says Ladd. “Lasse was the perfect choice to direct this movie.”
Hallström, who hails from Sweden, responds, “what most of my films have in common is that they are character driven stories and An Unfinished Life is one of them. I’m drawn to movies that deal with original characters and dysfunctional families.” When he received the script, he was intrigued by the tone and range of the story. “It’s not only a family drama—it’s got elements of suspense and deals with things I’ve never dealt with before like big bears and people with guns,” explains the Oscar-nominated director.
“It’s the characters I relate to and recognize even if this is the Wild West—at least to a Swede. I know these people. I’ve met them, despite the fact that the culture is so far off from where I came from. And I think I know their emotions and their shortcomings. I think I know this kid and how she feels about her situation. So it’s a universal story on an emotional level. Even a Swede can understand it.”
“This is the kind of story Lasse knows how to tell,” says Leslie Holleran, Hallström’s long-time producer. “Lasse and I look for things that are familiar and different in stories. What was different about this tale was the relationship of Einar and Mitch. It is the love story of the movie. It looks at very powerful, very masculine men, and we see nurturing and care—an intimacy that isn’t usually seen. I thought this was the most unique part of this story.” Hallström agrees. “I think the relationship between these two men, Einar and Mitch, is the most original part of the story.”
These production notes provided by Miramax Films.
An Unfinished Life
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Robert Redford, Josh Lucas, Becca Gardner, Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Screenplay by: Mark Spragg, Virginia Spragg
Release Date: September 9, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence including domestic abuse, and language.
Studio: Miramax Films
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $8,586,392 (46.1%)
Foreign: $10,031,892 (53.9%)
Total: $18,618,284 (Worldwide)