The Unknown (2006)

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Movie
German title The unknown
Original title La sconosciuta
Country of production Italy , France
original language Italian
Publishing year 2006
length 121 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Giuseppe Tornatore
script Giuseppe Tornatore
production Laura Fattori
music Ennio Morricone
camera Fabio Zamarion
cut Massimo Quaglia
occupation

The Unknown is an Italian-French feature film by director Giuseppe Tornatore from 2006. The film opened on May 22, 2008 in German cinemas.

action

Irena, in her mid-thirties, comes from the Ukraine and lives in Italy. The silent woman is repeatedly tormented by fearful memories from her past. In a northern Italian city, she rents an apartment opposite a house in which she shows particular interest. She tries to find a job as a cleaning lady in this house and tries to get close to the housekeeper Gina, who works for the Adacher family. The Adachers live in a large apartment with their little daughter Tea. And Irena is particularly interested in this family. She steals Gina the keys to the apartment and breaks into it at night. Finally she even manages to push her friend Gina down the hall stairs to get Gina's vacant housekeeper job. Actually employed by Ms. Adacher, she now runs the household and looks after the little daughter Tea. She often visits Gina in the clinic. Little Tea teaches her to defend herself against the rabble of her classmates. Only gradually does it become clear that Irena herself was the victim of a criminal. When Ms. Adacher is killed, Irena is arrested as an urgent suspect. Her explanations are not taken from her: The unscrupulous trafficker Muffa abused the Ukrainian woman as a prostitute and repeatedly forced pregnancies. Irena had to bear children, which Muffa snatched away from her immediately after the birth and gave them to someone else for adoption. Irena believes Tea is her youngest daughter. A genetic test refutes this and she is serving a long sentence. On the day of her release, Tea appears outside the prison.

Critical response

Several reviewers noted that Tornatore had sought the greatest possible distance to his hit film Cinema Paradiso (1988) with the unknown , which was an "interesting change in style" from melancholy poetry to unsettling outbursts of violence. The critics disagreed on almost every aspect of the film.

Some thought it was a "dense, skillfully told psychological thriller" that was effectively sleep-depriving because of the combination of high art and brute force, a clever staging of a thrill in the manner of Hitchcock . Tornatore proves to be knowledgeable in Giallo and tries to ennoble the misogynist genre through Irena's struggle for self-determination, he succeeds in creating a haunting female portrait. While another critic recognized a socially critical view of a society that treats people as a cheap resource, others regretted that the film only portrayed the structures of social exploitation very vaguely, that the action took place in a space detached from the present and that it was noticeably boring over some sections. The “terrifyingly superficial” film treats the subject of human trafficking like a “noble pinup” . Sometimes there was talk of a charming puzzle game and a good, convincing script, another time of a script with inconsistencies and an implausible ending. Tornatore offers an absurd plot and "with this crude mixture of a revenge thriller, social drama about human trafficking and a portrait of a woman in search of redemption, he is pretty out of tune."

The leading actress was said to be believable, great, and emotionally captivating. Michele Placido's performance has been described as either remarkable or clichéd. While some critics praised the skilful camera work, the “exquisite visual opulence” and the “gloomy, cold photography” , others dismissed the film as artfully constructed and formally overambitious. One critic defended the portrayal of sexual violence as being explicit and sensational, but not voyeuristic, while others considered the flashbacks to be shrill, "just as sensational as voyeuristic," which would once again abuse the characters. “It seems inconceivable to him not to put women's bodies in the most advantageous light.” Divergent assessments also of the music: Some praise contrasted with the opinion that composer Ennio Morricone was wearing much too thick.

Awards

The film won five David di Donatello awards in Italy in 2007 in the categories of Best Italian Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Xenia Rappaport), Best Music and Best Cinematography. Leading actress Xenia Rappaport was nominated for the European Film Prize 2007 , as was Giuseppe Tornatore for his direction and Fabio Zamarion for his camera work. He was awarded the audience award of the European Film Prize.

Review mirror

Rather positive

  • film-dienst no. 11/2008, pp. 26–27, by Felicitas Kleiner: The unknown

Mixed

  • epd film no. 6/2008, pp. 46–47, by Gerhard Midding: The Unknown
  • General-Anzeiger (Bonn) , July 10, 2008, p. 28, by Charlotte Becker: A woman with a secret
  • Stuttgarter Zeitung , May 24, 2008, p. 34, by Thomas Klingenmaier: A cleaning lady with plans

Rather negative

  • Der Tagesspiegel , May 22, 2008, p. 31, by Martin Schwickert: Silent days in Triest
  • Die Welt , May 22, 2008, p. 29, by Thomas Abeltshauser: A woman sees red

negative

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Thomas Abeltshauser: A woman sees red In: Die Welt , May 22, 2008, p. 29
  2. ↑ a b c d Gerhard Midding: The Unknown In: epd Film No. 6/2008, pp. 46–47
  3. ↑ a b c d e Martin Schwickert: Silent days in Triest In: Der Tagesspiegel , May 22, 2008, p. 31
  4. ↑ a b c d Charlotte Becker: A woman with a secret In: General-Anzeiger (Bonn) , July 10, 2008, p. 28
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h Felicitas Kleiner : The Unknown In: film-dienst No. 11/2008, pp. 26-27
  6. ↑ a b c d e Thomas Klingenmaier: A cleaning lady with plans In: Stuttgarter Zeitung , May 24, 2008, p. 34
  7. ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau, May 21, 2008, p. 36: The unknown

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