Australian actor Sarah Snook is widely known for her Emmy-winning role as Siobhan “Shiv” Roy, the youngest of the Roy children on the wicked wealth drama “Succession.” She appeared in every episode of the show and was able to match the performance of heavy-hitter Brian Cox, who played Shiv’s father, Logan. Since “Succession” ended in 2023, Snook has moved back to her acting roots in the theater, appearing on stage in her native Australia.
Even in small supporting roles, however, Snook is an impressive screen presence. She was excellent as a snotty daughter in the ghost story “Winchester,” and some might remember her from her small role in “Steve Jobs” in 2015, where she played Apple’s marketing guru Andy Cunningham. Snook also appeared in the horror film “Jessabelle” and, in 2023, served as star and executive producer in the film “Run Rabbit Run.” Her most recent film was “The Beanie Bubble,” which was similarly released in 2023.
Snook was always a force to be reckoned with, even in the early days of her career. Back then, one might have noticed her in the small 2011 sex drama “Sleeping Beauty” or the 2012 Aussie rom-com “Not Suitable for Children.” For many, though, her true breakout role came in 2014 when she appeared in the Spierig Bros.’ time-travel thriller “Predestination,” a twisted and complex movie where she played … well, read on, dear reader. Needless to say, she had a complicated acting job. Several of her scenes were opposite Ethan Hawke. Their characters’ relationship was … well, read on for that, too.
Predestination
In “Predestination,” Hawke plays a time-traveling cop nicknamed Agent Doe. He begins the film being injured in the year 1975, blown up by a bomber he was attempting to apprehend. He is then whisked back to the year 1990, where his face and body are reconstructed. In order to prove he’s still sharp, however, Agent Doe is sent back to the year 1970 to uncover facts about a mysterious young man only known as “The Unmarried Mother.” The young man is played by Snook and he explains that he was born intersex and raised as a woman back in the 1960s. The film flashes back from there to reveal The Unmarried Mother’s story, including his romances and personal life, as well as his career as a mysterious advice columnist (where he adopted his “Unmarried” pen name).
I will give away no further plot details, as the film gets very complicated. Needless to say, “Predestination” will take us through the Unmarried Mother’s gender journey, showing how he transitioned from female to male. It also reveals why Agent Doe is there, and why the Unmarried Mother’s story is so important.
“Predestination” is aggravating to describe; it’s mostly constructed of twists and surprises. One can’t really lay out the film in clear terms without giving away the ending. Needless to say, just like in all time-travel stories, audiences will be entangled in a causality loop.
The film was based on the 1959 Robert A. Heinlein story “‘–All You Zombies–’,” and if you’re familiar with Heinlein’s work, you’ll know the twists already.
What critics thought of Predestination
Word spread quickly about “Predestination.” The film holds an 85% approval rating based on 111 reviews from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregator. Many of them praise Snook’s performance and the clever script. The film itself was only made for $5 million, proving that expensive effects and slick production values aren’t needed when one has excellent actors and a good screenplay. Peter Sobczynski, writing for RogerEbert.com, gave the film three-and-a-half stars, writing that it “impresses in the way that it evokes the look and feel of the various eras that it touches on via clever costumes, production design and cinematography rather than through lavish special effects.” He also praised Snook, writing:
“Sarah Snook delivers a knockout performance that calls on her to perform the kind of tricky scenes that could have resulted in bad laughs throughout if handled incorrectly. Not only does she pull off her performance brilliantly throughout — there is not one moment in which she is anything less that utterly convincing and believable — I would go so far as to put her work here up against any of the current front-runners for the Best Actress Oscar.”
Snook won an AACTA Award for her performance. Although “Predestination” wasn’t a huge hit — it only made $5.4 million at the box office — it has gone on to be respected and praised by a growing cult. As of this writing, “Predestination” can be seen as part of one’s Prime Video subscription, and can be rented from several other online outlets. It comes highly recommended.
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