Unexpected
Description
Samantha Abbot (Cobie Smulders) is at a crossroads. She’s an inner-city Chicago high school teacher whose school is slated to shut down at the end of the academic year, and she is also newly engaged to her boyfriend John (Anders Holm), the proposal prompted by an unplanned pregnancy. Unsure of her direction in life, career and love, when she discovers that her favorite student Jasmine (Gail Bean) is also pregnant, Samantha focuses all of her attention on helping her young friend—whether Jasmine wants it or not. In her third feature film, co-writer/director Kris Swanberg has crafted a funny and authentic film anchored by sterling, lived-in lead performances by Smulders and Bean (as well as excellent supporting turns by Holm and, as Samantha’s mother, Elizabeth McGovern). Observant of even the smallest details, Unexpected weaves a warmhearted story that explores the ramifications of motherhood on women’s life choices while also raising clear-eyed questions about privilege, race and class. —Mike Keegan
Kris Swanberg made her directing debut with It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home (2009). Her other films include Empire Builder (2012) and a short Baby Mary (2014). She says of Unexpected, “My first two features were tiny and improvised so in a way this almost feels like my first. It’s a personal story for me because I used to be a high school teacher. I taught film and video on the west side of Chicago for a few years. I made great connections with my students and that’s where this story comes from. I also drew on a lot of my own feelings about pregnancy and motherhood for the film.”
Film Details
LanguageEnglish
Year2015
Runtime87
CountryUSA
DirectorKris Swanberg
ProducerAndrea Roa
WriterKris Swanberg, Megan Mercier
EditorZach Clark
CinematographerDagmar Weaver-Madsen
MusicKeegan DeWitt
CastCobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern