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Unsane (2018), R, ★★★


I knew Steven Soderbergh would not have retired completely. He returned with an underrated but solid Logan Lucky from last year which is sort of country-like version of Ocean's Eleven. But, some of his best work has been in mysterious thrillers or crime thrillers like Traffic or the underrated Side Effects. He sets certain suspense in certain frames in some movies that have some revelations creep up on you and it becomes startling and it almost feels like a docudrama at times. Now, he is a back with a thriller with a more of a horror spin, with a character trapped in a mental hospital. Even though the movie being shot on an iPhone 7 was being on a spotlight, the arc becomes a bit predictable but it's the horror tone and the performances that save the movie. It is a bit fascinating.

Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy from The Crown) works an over-the-phone salesperson in Pennsylvania. She thinks she sees a mysterious man named David (Joshua Leonard) walking into the workplace, frightening her. She has one friend named Jill (Sarah Stiles) but talks regularly with her mother, Angela (Amy Irving) on the phone. After a Tinder date mysteriously goes wrong, Sawyer visits a counselor at a facility called Highland Creek to discuss her issues. She was stalked by David for David for two years, causing her to be frightened and also to be thinking occasional suicidal thoughts.

She goes to extra counseling and after finishing the paperwork, Sawyer is unwillingly brought to a room where she has her belongings taken and is forced to undergo exams. Sawyer realizes that she is committed involuntarily for the next 24 hours and after calling the cops, the nurse tells her that the cops get usual calls like that from the hospital. Sawyer meets patients Nate and Violet (Jay Pharaoh and Juno Temple) as they try to "comfort" her. As she is still freaking out, Sawyer thinks she sees an orderly that looks like David and she becomes even more traumatized.


I cannot spoil this movie further regarding its revelations surrounding the characters and the plot. To be honest, I kind of pinpointed who will be let go and also how its arc may be resolved, but I loved the ending because of its tonal switch in the second half. I thought about it as a grim psychological fantasy horror/thriller, if it were reality, then there are problems and holes in the movies, surrounding the killer. And, there are problems with one plot twist but I admired the other plot twists. However, even though there was one twist that bothered me like, "Yeah, I saw that happen." But, the other twists surprised me because it took other directions that I did not see coming and that with Claire Foy's performance is what saves the movie. Claire Foy's performance is quite great and compelling as she switches into many emotions as she becomes angry, vulnerable, seductive, paranoid, etc. Jay Pharaoh, Juno Temple are good and Amy Irving, in a brief supporting role, is great.

Director Steven Soderbergh's creative angle by shooting on an iPhone 7 plus in 10 days is surprisingly good and can almost be a gimmick. However, even though I had problems with its lighting and dim cinematography, it did not completely take me out of the picture as it is the point to be mysterious of not seeing other characters quite well. I kinda liked the first half but I really liked the second half as it becomes suspenseful and grim where it wanders down into a good climax and a great ending. This 97-minute movie will get your blood pumping while watching this palpable, tense thriller combined with some playfulness that will get you to think in reality when to get scammed or not. Hahaha! Soderbergh will push your buttons even when you are not thinking it.

***


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