Unforgettable is Denise Di Novi’s directorial debut after having produced numerous movies such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Starring Rosario Dawson as Julia Banks and Katherine Heigl as Tessa Connover, this is a girl power-packed production. Apart from that, Geoff Stults co-stars as a very sweet David Connover, the ex-husband of Tessa.
You might not even realise this was Di Novi’s first time directing a feature film. She excels at building up the story, and adding subtle but crucial details along the way. She paints a picturesque setting of a contented couple living in a small town, but drop hints that something’s amiss beneath the calm surface. You get the idea that this is not a feel good or romance movie by Di Novi but a dramatic thriller.
Julia Banks is a successful editor who left her job in the city to move in with her fiancé, David Connover, in a small town. David has just started his own homegrown brewery and is finally on the verge of success. Formerly a business man in a large banking firm, he is now busy trying to break out on his own, to live a passionate life filled with love, which brings us to Tessa Connover, his ex-wife.
The premise is simple- David and Tessa are divorced, but remain amicable because they share a daughter- Lily. Julia knows she won’t be Lily’s mother but she cares for her and learns as much about the girl as she can because she is David’s child. Tessa however, sees Julia as a replacement for her. From Tessa’s frosty greetings with Julia, we can tell that Tessa is the perfect rich blonde ex-wife upstaged by the contrasting friendly, dark-haired Julia.
The tipping point for Tessa is when she realises that Julia is not going to just be David’s girlfriend but his wife, a permanent position that would leave Tessa to be a lonely ex-wife whose role is to care for Lily during days when she has custody.
Katherine Heigl plays the vindictive Tessa Connover to perfection, in fact, meeting someone like her in real life might give you the chills. She goes to the extremes to snatch David back and gaslights Julia into thinking that the problems she (Tessa) created were actually Julia’s.
Tessa’s obsession with David might be comparable to Glenn Close’s role as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction (1987). In fact, Unforgettable brings a more modern twist to Fatal Attraction. Unlike Alex’s obsessive methods in trying to get back to her lover with blatant moves such as stalking or confronting people upfront, Tessa does everything subtly.
From stealing Julia’s phone to find out more about her and cyber-stalking her background, Tessa crafts a more intricate plan to get rid of Julia while sitting primly and trying to look innocent on the surface. She sets up the trap well that it makes Julia wonder if there is something wrong with herself when everyone around her seems to be happy. You’re kept constantly on edge wondering if Tessa will walk away scot-free as the movie takes you on turns and twists as the pieces come together to get rid of Julia.
Watch this dramatic thriller, Unforgettable on Catchplay, you might gasp at the ending because I did.
