Unpacking (2025) Movie Review: This Evocative Self-Help Adventure Is Half-Baked & Defanged

Thematic comparisons to “The White Lotus” are inevitable while watching Alexandra Clayton and Michal Sinnott’s “Unpacking.” After all, this brisk, vivid feature also expands its premise way beyond its satirical bent, effortlessly flitting between humorous and sincere elements. Things start off with the expected trappings of the self-help retreat trope — a group of women, mostly white, decide to visit Bali to “become whole,” conveniently side-stepping the immense privilege that comes with such an opportunity to begin with.

Influencer/wellness guru Keri (Sam Bianchini) oversees this promised healing with some insanely tone-deaf instances of cultural appropriation (the group chants “Ganesh!” before getting their photos clicked at one point, and even participates in the indigenous-rooted Cacao ceremony). But these moments of discomfort are undercut by a half-baked self-awareness, as Keri is intimately aware of the fact that her promises are a sham.

Half-baked, because the only character who calls out Keri’s behavior, Eithne (Stephanie Ann Whited), is forced to become the bigger person and extend the olive branch of constructive communication. It’s understandable what both Clayton and Sinnott are aiming at — that mistakes are only human, and that Keri’s actions, while immoral, are not rooted in malice. Well, good intentions do not mask the entitlement of a white influencer visiting Bali, a widely sought-after destination whose real-life tourism has become a double-edged sword, to appropriate various cultures under the guise of wellness. This is exactly the kind of hollow spiritualism that “The White Lotus” unflinchingly critiques, but “Unpacking” steps back on the verge of making a salient point, as if too afraid to dismantle its own carefully-crafted bubble.

What the film excels at is etching the motivations behind each female character’s retreat, along with the genuine bonds formed during this adventure. Ni Ketut (Dania Arancha) seems most suited to lead this retreat, but she doesn’t assume centerstage until Keri’s temporary exit, which works well to unravel the layers behind her presence. There’s also Jackie (Jessica Rotondi) and Alice (Katie Braden), who bond despite being dramatically different in their worldviews, lending to some of the most dynamic sequences in the story. But the emotional core of “Unpacking” lies with sisters Ruby (Clayton) and Charlotte (Sinnott), who undergo a rollercoaster of emotions in ways that are complex and deeply human. There’s a messiness inherent in this dynamic, but there’s also raw vulnerability that can only be shared between sisters.

Unpacking (2025) — A still from “Unpacking” (2025)

While every performance is compelling across the board, Whited feels severely underutilized, despite being the nexus of the narrative for the most part. Her lover had duped her into coming to this place, as she had hoped the retreat would spark a change in her and render her more emotionally available. While Eithne does come off as closed and stand-offish at first, she has good reason to be skeptical of everything, right from Keri’s transgressions to some of the messy insincerity exhibited by people around her. But her guarded and upfront nature is interpreted negatively, as she is called out for being judgmental and cold. We’re told that Eithne requires internal work, but her actions are consistently empathetic, kind even, where her flaws are never fleshed out in tangible ways.

As the sincere beats of the story shine infinitely brighter than the feeble attempts to satirize and critique, “Unpacking” only works well as a compelling examination of female pain and trauma that is completely removed from the male gaze. This is achieved to great effect, as the film asks some uncomfortable questions about childbirth, the excruciating pain that accompanies it, and the dilation of identity that immediately follows. In some cases, identity is completely erased, as some mothers take the self-effacing route to ensure that their child is flourishing. This immense sacrifice is rarely, if ever, borne by fathers, which points towards the systemic inequity that patriarchy upholds, and how little acts of self-love can help dismantle these expectations.

There’s much to like here, but “Unpacking” falls short in, well, unpacking the performative nature of tourism-centered Western wellness that always comes at the cost of local cultures, traditions, and populations. There’s an unfortunate thread of pretension that lies deep beneath layers of genuine and heartfelt emotion, which robs “Unpacking” of the edge it requires to make a mark.