An Unfinished Life

"Every secret takes on a life of its own."

2005 1h 48m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 727

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Stoic and heartbroken, Einar Gilkyson quietly lives in the rugged Wyoming ranchlands alongside his only trusted friend, Mitch Bradley. One day, the woman he blames for the death of his only son arrives at his door broke, desperate, and with a granddaughter he's never known. But even as buried anger and accusations resurface, the way is opened for unexpected connection, adventure, and forgiveness.

“Every secret takes on a life of its own.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Paramount Plus PremiumSubscription

Paramount Plus EssentialSubscription

Paramount+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Robert Redford
Einar Gilkyson
Jennifer Lopez
Jean Gilkyson
Morgan Freeman
Mitch Bradley
Becca Gardner
Griff Gilkyson
Josh Lucas
Crane Curtis
Damian Lewis
Gary Winston
Camryn Manheim
Nina
Lynda Boyd
Kitty

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lasse Hallström
Writers: Mark Spragg, Virginia Korus Spragg
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lasse Hallström, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andrew Mondshein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Every secret takes on a life of its own.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0350261 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lasse Hallström directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. Andrew Mondshein cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 21 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
4Directed by Lasse Hallström, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Andrew Mondshein shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Every secret takes on a life of its own.".
8IMDB entry: tt0350261 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "sheriff", "wyoming, usa", "grandparent grandchild relationship", "loss of loved one".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Editing: Andrew Mondshein
Production design: David Gropman
Costume design: Tish Monaghan
Makeup / hair: Vincent Sullivan
Stunt coordinator: Danny Virtue
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $18,618,284
Return: 62% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: An Unfinished Life (2005)

Awards

Genesis Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Lasse Hallström

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2021-05-21
★ 8/10
I enjoyed watching this movie. It has the high quality I would expect from the director of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, another movie that relies on a solid story and good acting to carry it through. The actors top to bottom are as good as they need to be. I especially like that the girl wasn’t turned into one of those witty, smart-mouthed sitcom brats you often see. The character is fairly serious and a few times comes out with an observation that is meaningful and believable. Like the comment to her grandfather that an old boyfriend of her mother only hit her Mom with words, like he did. In some ways the story was predictable and the abusive boyfriend was almost just a stereotype. Then again, the reason we have cliches and stereotypes is that they are common in real life, but they could has shown a greater imagination in presenter atheist woman beater, for example. Still, it is a movie worth watching, if not memorable or worth multiple viewings.
Wuchak2025-12-10
★ 7/10
“How painful are honest words!” Shot in the spring & early summer of 2003, this sat on the shelf for over two years before finally being released in September, 2005. The script was written by Mark Spragg & his wife Virginia, which was published as a book the year after shooting completed. The Spraggs married Redford’s “The Horse Whisperer” with “Of Mice and Men” (think Crooks living in the stable). There are also bits of Jennifer Lopez’ “Enough.” It’s not as good as “The Horse Whisperer” or “Of Mice and Men,” but it’s still worth checking out if you like those movies or “A River Runs Through it” and “Legends of the Fall.” Redford was 66 during shooting and still lean, as well as formidable. Morgan Freeman was likewise 66. A couple of fragments of eye-rolling LIEberal talking points show up in the dialogues, but they’re so fleeting they’re not worth mentioning. Looking past that, there are quality life lessons that never get old amidst occasional predictableness. It runs 1h 47m and was shot in in British Columbia in Ashcroft, Savona, and Kamloops, which are located a 4-hour drive northeast of Vancouver on the other side of the Coast Mountains. GRADE: B/B-