The Horror Show
Unsane
by Steven Soderbergh
Mental illness is a hard subject to talk about. Everybody has demons they struggle with on the daily. For some of us, our demons are scarier than others. I don't lie about my mental issues. I'm southern, we don't hide our crazies. We put them out on the front porch with a glass of sweet tea and let them yell at the neighbors. I live with Bipolar Disorder. It is a tough life sometimes, but I keep fighting, and for the most part, I win. I think that's why Unsane hit home. Being locked away for something you can't control is scary. This movie took it to the next level.
Sawyer is a young woman that has moved to a new city and is trying to make a life for herself after a harrowing experience with a man who is stalking her. She can't help but see his face everywhere. The stress has caused her to seek help. She visits a therapist who asks her about suicide and Sawyer is honest, she tells the doctor that she's had those thoughts. After signing what she thinks are standard forms, Sawyer is escorted into an exam room. She is being admitted. This begins her trip into a hell like no other.
After getting into fights with a couple of patients, mistaking an orderly for her stalker, and trying to get help from the police, Sawyer is given her first round of meds. She looks up and sees the face of her stalker yet again. This time he doesn't disappear. He's right there handing her a tiny paper cup full of pills. Sawyer's worst nightmare has come true. She is locked up with the man that has tormented her for years. Or is she?
This is Steven Soderbergh's first foray into horror. He's best known for his dramatic work like Erin Brokovich. I'm kind of impressed with the way he directed this film. The movie was shot entirely with an iPhone 7 plus. It doesn't look like it or feel like it. I was stunned when I learned this!
The acting was superb. Claire Foy is perfect as Sawyer. You feel for her. You want her to escape from her torment. The only problem I have is the whole “is it all in her head” trope. I feel like they should have drawn that part out a little more, making us question if Sawyer really was crazy, but that's just me nitpicking.
Unsane is a fantastic psychological horror that finds that deep fear within our psyche and brings it to the surface. I love any movie that makes me question what I am seeing and this one does just that.
Robin Thompson, HMS
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