Steven Soderbergh’s awful at retirement. I guess it only took a four year break from features to reinvigorate the prolific filmmaker, so it’s little surprise that right on the heels of his triumphant return comes the secretly produced Unsane.
The horror/thriller sees Soderbergh return to questions of the mind with the tale of a young woman being wrongly placed in a mental institution. Or maybe she should be there? That appears to be the mystery driving the film, as viewers are stuck in the perspective of the potentially ill woman.
It provides a nice change-up for star Claire Foy, who most people have only seen in buttoned up productions like The Crown or Wolf Hall. That history made people raise an eyebrow when she was announced as the next Lisbeth Salander, and Unsane should allow her to stretch her legs along with audience expectations.
The biggest news about this film, though, is undoubtedly that it was shot entirely on an iPhone. You can see the lo-fi nature in this trailer, but the technique could be more than just an exciting experiment for Soderbergh. The approach gave Sean Baker’s Tangerine a boots on the ground immediacy, and the same feel could easily enhance the mind games Soderbergh seems to be playing.
Whatever the reason for churning out this strange little thriller, most people will just be excited that Soderbergh has returned with his old verve.
Unsane is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, and Juno Temple. It will be released in the U.S. and the U.K. on March 23rd, 2018. For international release dates, click here.
Are you excited for this film? Let us know in the comments!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.