Elena Undone
Elena Undone
R | 25 June 2010 (USA)
Elena Undone Trailers

The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.

Reviews
Candice Hubbard (moviebuff1030)

Nicole Conn does it again! I've lost count of how many times I've watched this movie. I cannot get enough of this story!! The chemistry between Peyton and Elena is incredible!! The scene where Peyton explains why they shouldn't see each other any more and Elena, desperate to keep the relationship going, insists that they NEED to be in each another's lives...melts my heart every time! It's obvious they're both fighting the inevitable and you really relate to how each must be feeling.Someone that I'd never seen before, whom I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the future is, Sabrina Fuster, aka Tori. I really loved this character. She's not only adorable, but she delivers Nicole Conn's dialog in a playful, refreshing way. Great find! Another aspect I appreciate about this movie, is how real it is in depicting how two people can fall in love, regardless of their sexual orientation. You never really get the impression that Elena is a lesbian, but you can totally understand how she could fall in love with Peyton. Their chemistry is undeniable. It causes confusion in both women, but you get it. It's very relatable.I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys great cinema!!

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cupodirect

I have been reading the reviews of this movie on this site and I wonder if I saw the same movie. In fact I have seen it a couple of times now and enjoyed it both times. I'll admit the story is a little different but I found it interesting. This was a love story - who does not enjoy a great love story. Both women coming from two different places meet, and over time fall in love. One is married with a son which of course will complicate things. Even though you know that throughout the movie that people will be hurt, I found myself rooting for them to get together. I thought that Nicole Conn's slow developing of the relationship going from friendship to lovers was outstanding. They could not help themselves - period. Two beautiful actresses that were not only beautiful but talented made this movie hard for me to take my eyes off it for a second. Was it perfect? I don't know - I sort of enjoyed the different story line of love guru, Pastor of a hateful church etc. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see not just a lesbian movie but a movie about finding love.

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herostratus-690-719695

First of all the "good" news: Everybody who loves "religiousness" as such will love this movie. Because it not only comes along as just another mere homosexual propaganda film, obviously in intention and attempt to make this kind of "non-straight" relationships socially acceptable. The second pseudo-religious effort of this film lies in immensely contributing to the at least also 2000 years old other myth of "the soul-mate" thing. For this purpose a non-gay guy is displayed who seems to be as impressively homosexual as unbearably precocious. The danger in "his" ideology - the so-called "two-flames" fairy-tale - lies in the eventually hopeless life-long search of the individual who believes and follows this saga, which practically means to be forever miserable. Since this movie is over-pretentious it is not surprising that it furthermore even pretends that everybody can and will find his or her "soul mate", equivalent to everlasting happiness. Because life itself proves otherwise it is even needless to explain why this fable represents in itself a severe reality distortion. But it is en-vogue to think that way these days, and people need - just like little children - sweet bedtime-stories as sort of happy-pills against the nameless dread(s) of our existence. Therefore people will love this film, especially if one chose to live a rather shallow life, and better not want to question, examine and analyze so-called "truths". Then again: of course we're all sick and tired of racism of all kinds - and rightfully so; one of it's most extreme form - so-called "gay-bashing" - is truly wrong and totally to despise. But this film - probably unwillingly - contributes to this old hatred in displaying "alternative" people as some sort of gay-shaman (the formerly mentioned "wise-guy" and the as primitively-dumb as vulgar-crude woman friend of one of the two woman lead roles). Watching these aversive characters I wonder: why not use ordinary grown-ups "like you an me" who can make the difference as well by showing tolerance? Why must it always be "strange" people who one usually (or: hopefully, in this case) will never meet in real life, who take over the role as "soul-advisors"? The movie would have gained enormously by showing normal people. The way this film was made I'm afraid it will only contribute to old gender stereotypes that in the end fuel even more hate. So everybody in this movie has his or her companion-guide who appears to be rather deranged than positive object, with which the viewer could identify in good manner. The same goes for the as well stereotyped pastor of a Christian church - true bible believers will hate this movie for it: there's this parish-woman and with her comes another undercurrent of adultery - this time on the Christian side. Of course the pastor is not practicing what he preaches (if one does not think he's - of course - preaching hatred), and of course the obsessive-compulsively moral churchwoman is a two-faced-creature (following, of course, rather the seven deadly sins than the word of God), and of course all possible clichés in the fields of homosexuality and of religion are borrowed here (yawn). It is clear: Christian believers are evil moralist culprits, homosexuals are innocent victims. It seems thus as if all characters were created out of the box of meanwhile super-boring stereotyped ideas, while the way fashionable subjects (like "Is being gay normal?" or "Should gay couples be allowed to have children?" - both answered positively in this film) are being treated in this movie reminded me of Goebbels' propaganda films, just the other way round. And yes: of course the hackneyed negative pastor treads his wife of course so rude and insensitive that it seems indeed totally natural that she willingly runs into the open arms of another human being at first sight or possibility. God save our souls from stereotype overflow. How can one bear such stupidity in a plot that just seems to aim at triggering certain feelings (serving as ideological carriers of certain worldviews) in the audience? So, all in all this undone film is because of its unused possibilities and despite the beauty of the two main actresses just another cliché-ridden display of idiocy in form of attempted manipulation of people's opinions. That would not be so grave if it could not be potentially disorientating for young people - or for the rather simple minded. Hell. It should have been really left undone.

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jlhopwo

OK, put away your presumptions and your prejudices about what a "lesbian" movie is. If you skip this movie because "it's about lesbians," or gays, or the mysterious "other," then you're missing out on one of the best romantic films I've ever seen.First, I'm a happily married straight guy, 45 years old. Now having dispensed with that, on to the review!As another reviewer has already noted, this is a romance film. It happens to be a romance film with two women as the lead actors. Sure, you can call it a lesbian film, if you wish to force it into some niche. You can note that the director and producer, both women, are partners, and therefore let that make a choice for you about the movie. I recommend, however, that you watch the film, and let it stand on its own merits. You won't be disappointed.While some say that this film appears to be somewhat formulaic (girl meets girl, girl loses girl, girl gets girl back in the end,) movies use formulas because 1) they work, and 2) they are true representations of how life happens. What separates this movie from other romance movies isn't that the main characters are women, but the visceral, raw, and quite real emotions captured by the camera and shown to us on film. I was bowled away by the acting, amazed by the cinematography, and stunned by the chemistry. Oh yes, there's chemistry! I'm making a distinction between the acting and the chemistry because I would like to speak to the acting in general, and the chemistry in particular. Am I exaggerating when I write "bowled away", "amazed", and "stunned?" OK, maybe a little bit. Obviously, I'm biased- I really like this movie! But allow me to explain.The acting in "Elena Undone" is wonderful. And I don't mean wonderful for an indie film. I mean truly wonderful. The phrase "suspension of disbelief" gets bandied about quite a bit in film reviews, and I don't want to, again, exaggerate, but I really felt like I was there when watching this movie. There were so many scenes where I was no longer sitting in my living room, but I was "there", at the park, or in Peyton's living room, or in her (their) bedroom... I felt like I was disembodied, hovering at the periphery of the scene, really watching events unfold in real-time! Not just the main characters Elena (Nacar Zadegan) and Peyton (Traci Dinwiddie), but all the actors performed wonderfully.The cinematography was also excellent. There are two main themes in the cinematography that I would like to speak to. One is the "style" of the movie, and the other, from a comparative point of view, is the role that the park plays in the movie. I can point to the "narration style" used where one of the actors, Tyler, talks to the camera in the guise of the cinematographer-type role that he plays in the movie. Similar to other movies that have used this device (Kenneth Branagh's "Othello" comes immediately to mind), it helps steady the movie and keeps things moving along. The park is another part of the cinematography that plays an important role in the movie. The park becomes almost like another part of the cast, present at many important points in the movie. It's there when Elena and Peyton first see each other, although they don't meet then. It's there when "girl loses girl," and also there when at the very end and the credits begin to roll, they are at their happiest. I bring these points up not because they are especially important, or especially poignant, but to demonstrate to you, the reader of this review, that particular care was spent in the cinematography of this movie. Please be assured, that if the cast and crew cared about these things, they certainly cared about all other aspects of this movie that make it so great.Lastly, the chemistry. This movie, were it not for the chemistry between Nacar Zadegan, and Traci Dinwiddie, would be an above average romance movie. With it, it explodes on the screen! From their first glance that shows interest, to their open conversations, to the scene where there is that first spark that ignites the tinder, to the scene where the tinder begins to blaze a little more, to that scene... that scene where the flame is no longer small, but all-consuming, engulfing them... I don't even know if I can properly even describe it to you, to give it its due. You just are going to have to take my word for it, when you see this scene, you will be so affected, as I was, it's so amazingly beautiful and raw- the acknowledgment of Elena's feelings, her forthrightness, yet tempered with her knowledge that she may be changing things irrevocably, but with her stubborn, almost petulant need to charge forward into the abyss... And by the way, it's not a sex scene that I'm writing about (while there is sex in the movie, it's thoughtfully and provocatively muted, sensual, loving, while still being erotic and sexy!) Anyway, I'm probably letting my feelings thinking about this scene get away with me, but once again, please let me say to you, you deserve to see this scene, and by extension, the whole movie!To summarize, and to close this somewhat lengthy and totally biased review, you need to see this movie. Yes you, straight man, as well as you, lesbian lady, and you too, curious lady. And hey, you too, straight woman with a boyfriend. All of you can put aside whatever baggage you're bringing to the table and watch this movie. If you aren't affected by this romance, this love story, this amazing retelling of how two people can meet, and fall in love, and run into problems, and become redeemed because of their unassailable love for each other, then you must be dead inside.

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