The Unforgivable Trailer: Sandra Bullock Is An Ex-Con Who Can't Escape Her Past

In the grand tradition of beautiful actresses slathering dirt and grim all over themselves with hopes of awards season recognition, here comes "The Unforgivable"! This time, it's Sandra Bullock who is slumming it, unwashed hair and all. Bullock plays Ruth, a woman who just recently got out of jail for a violent crime. Ruth wants to get back to something resembling a normal life, and also wants to reconnect with her estranged younger sister. But that won't be so easy, because wherever Ruth goes, people are ready to remind her of her past actions. Bullock leads an impressive cast that includes Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Richard Thomas, Linda Emond, Aisling Franciosi, Rob Morgan, Emma Nelson, Will Pullen, Thomas Guiry, and Viola Davis. The first trailer for "The Unforgivable" is below, and be warned: it's one of those trailers that kind of shows you the entire movie. 

I like Sandra Bullock. I think she's a talented performer, and she has a certain spark, a certain charming, affable energy, that helped make her endearing to moviegoers the world over. While I think Bullock is always best when she's playing a part with a certain lightness – even her doomed "Gravity" character has a sense of humor – she occasionally dabbles in ultra-serious roles. "The Unforgivable" certainly looks to fit into that category, with Bullock looking haggard and unkempt in pretty much every shot seen in the trailer above. 

"The Unforgivable" has Bullock playing a cop killer who gets out of prison and tries to rebuild her life. That includes trying to reconnect with her much younger sister. But everywhere Bullock's character turns she finds people unwilling to give her a second chance. As Viola Davis' character yells at one point, Bullock's character is "not a victim." Here's "The Unforgivable" synopsis: 

Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.

It's clear Netflix is hoping for some sort of awards season attention here. Not only does "The Unforgivable" practically scream "THIS IS A SERIOUS DRAMA!", but it also has a winter release date poised to get awards voters' attention. "The Unforgivable" first opens in select theaters on November 24, 2021, before heading to Netflix on December 10, 2021. Nora Fingscheidt directed the pic, from a script by Peter Craig and Hillary Seitz and Courtenay Miles. Graham King, Sandra Bullock, and Veronica Ferres serve as producers. The cast features Sandra Bullock, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Richard Thomas, Linda Emond, Aisling Franciosi, Rob Morgan, Emma Nelson, Will Pullen, Thomas Guiry, and Viola Davis.