As I drove home after watching this film, I not only had a disturbing feeling in my gut, but I also felt paranoid that what happened to the main character could happen to me. When a movie’s message sinks that deeply into you, they conveyed it fully. The fear it instilled in me wasn’t just a fun, scary movie fear, it was also a true story type of fear. This could possibly happen to me and that is insane.
Unsane begins with a woman seeking therapy because she has experienced some type of abuse and she winds up accidentally voluntarily committing herself to a mental hospital. It is not so easy, however, for her to sign herself out. She realizes that she is stuck there for an examination period, but the duration may be turning her insane. It sounds like an implausible story, but it actually happens in real life. I know people who were committed, voluntarily and otherwise, but it was extremely troublesome to get out. This is the scariest part of the movie for me. In addition to playing upon this factual worry, every filmmaking choice was excellent. The serious, engaged acting from every single character, especially the main character, Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) and the antagonist, David Strine (Joshua Leonard), was engrossing. Director Cory Finley also incorporated some bone-chilling angles that intensified the eerie feelings. Mostly, though, the lack of a typical soundtrack really heightened the creepy factor. There were times when there’s a high-pitched tone, but I found the silence more twisted. Everything about this movie was magnificently dark.
The main character, Sawyer, and the stalker, David, are strong and well-played roles, but my favorite character was that of a fellow patient named Nate Hoffman, played by comedian Jay Pharoah. I used to enjoy him on Saturday Night Live and this is quite the stark contrast to that persona. He plays the helpful guide to Sawyer. There is such anxiety and paranoia in her story, though, that you have to wonder if he is as good as he seems. Regardless, Jay Pharoah plays his role so well that he is incredibly likeable and trustworthy.
Unsane is like Side Effects and Gone Girl but without all the Hollywood mumbo jumbo. Anyone would be considered insane if their buttons were pushed enough and that’s the beauty of the chilling aspect of this film. Furthermore, I liked how we are told bits and pieces throughout the movie. We start out wondering if she is in the right or if she is indeed insane. The more we find out, the more we can determine our prognosis. In the end, we can see that with all that she’s been through she probably does need some help but with the greediness and foolish way our healthcare system is set to deal with these, she may never get that proper help. This may even be the scariest factor of all. I recommend seeing Unsane in theaters to grasp the full effect. I give this movie a 10!
