Unity?
| Unity? | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ania Pakulski |
| Written by | Ettore Alesini |
| Produced by | Erminio Profeta |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Irena Pasternak |
| Edited by | Felicja Pakulski |
| Music by | Sakura Saito |
Production company | Ascension Production |
| Distributed by | Ascension Production |
Release date | 6 September 2019 |
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | Malgrave |
| Languages | Malgravean Ancient, Mystrian Common |
Unity? is a 2019 sports-drama film starring Rhee Chae-Yeong, Janina Pasternack and Even Sørensen. Unity? centres around the formation of the unified UKM-SRM table tennis team that competed in international events between 1980 and 1983, with the main story elements of the film being the trials and tribulations of managing a unified team alongside the successes they enjoyed at various international championships.
History
In 1995 the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Social Solidarity put together a proposal for a film to recognise the achievements of the unified UKM-SRM sports team, however, the economic and political fallout from the Lost Decade meant that the project was put on hold and eventually scrapped.
In 2017 the draft proposal for Unity? was rediscovered during a scheduled refurbishment of the main offices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the project was reviewed and revised throughout 2018 with work on the film starting in 2019. As with MalContents Unity? was made with assistance from MalTec and MalMart, although assistance in this film was also provided by MalTra who supplied several era-accurate trains, aircraft and ferries for a few important scenes.
Synopsis
In the 1980 Malgravean General Election the Progressive Unity Party pledged to bring an end to the decades long conflict between the United Kingdom of Malgrave and the Socialist Republic of Malgrave, shortly after the gaining power the PUP start negotiations with the assistance of negotiations from Breheim, as a part of this process the Socialist Republic of Malgrave propose a joint-sporting team.
It is a proposal that is initially rejected by the United Kingdom, however, after mediation from a Breheimian official it is decided that single event will be used to trial the effectiveness of the scheme, with a small joint table tennis team being formed to compete in an international event. Unity? follows Aurelia Wronski and Moon Yeong-Suk played by Janina Pasternack and Rhee Chae-Yeong respectively as they try to compete. Can they achieve Unity?
Characters/Cast
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Janina Pasternack as Aurelia Wronski | Aurelia Wronski is a table tennis star from Pakosc, they are initially quite displeased about the formation of a unified team, however, they eventually grow to respect the talent of their counterpart from the SRM. |
| Rhee Chae-Yeong as Moon Yeong-Suk | Moon Yeong-Suk is a table tennis star from Rensk, they are initially shown to be quite cold towards those in the UKM. Yeong-Suk also suffers from a more advanced form of MIDD compared to her counterparts which hinders her performance occasionally. |
| Even Sørensen as Njål Lange | Njål Lange is a negotiator from Breheim and a former table tennis athlete, as the UKM and SRM couldn't agree upon a senior coach Njål was selected as a compromise candidate. Njål is quite a heavy-drinker and appears to be rather disinterested in the team, however, underneath his hard exterior he deeply cares for the sport and has a deep respect for both athletes. |
Release & Reception
Unity? was released at a special event in Breheim near the end of 2019, as a way to try and thank the Breheimian people for the work they put into supporting the unified team at international events. The film was well-received at the box office, being the number one movie for the first three weeks of its release, and had a theatrical run until april 2021. Its critical reception was more mixed however, with some critics stating the focus on the political background of the tennis matches distracted from the actors' performance. Even then, most critics gave it overally favorable reviews, with Anders Tordson of the Vestøy Times in particular praising the performance of Even Sørensen and his co-actors, as well as the mixing of a sports movie with commentary.
Unity? was praised by viewers upon its release for the accuracy of the sets, as MalTra even briefly put ferries and aircraft from the early 80's in service including old SRM stock to make the sets look accurate. Unity? was also praised for selecting someone that came from the former Socialist Republic to play Moon Yeong-Suk, however, a scene in which the tennis star was suffering from medical issues was criticised by the Socialist Party (Malgrave) for showing a revisionist history of medicine within the SRM. In response to the criticism Ania Pakulski stated that the scene was meant to highlight the growing friendship between Moon Yeong-Suk and Aurelia Wronski