I’ve been reading what other reviewers have to say of La Sconosciuta, the Unknown Woman, and one thing that is surprising me: we all have different ideas about what happened in it. Things that I assumed, other have not. Things I thought were nothing were significant to other writers.
I think we all agree that it is a really good story and an enthralling mystery, one that is difficult to talk about without giving it away.
In the middle of this rat’s nest of intrigue is Irina, a Ukrainian sex slave who has escaped to Italy in search of something and we are left guessing for a long time what that something is. She arrives in a northern Italian town with a big wad of cash, taking a terrible apartment, and intent on ingratiating herself in the lives of a rich Italian family that live across the street from her. We initially sympathize with her, but we become increasingly aware that she’s really bad news – on many fronts. She’s not going to let anything get in her way of reaching her goal – whatever that goal may be.
The movie was written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, most famous for Cinema Paradiso, but also Malena with Monica Belluci and Baarì, which I wrote about in this blog (and did not care for). For a man known for his overly sentimental movies, he surely shows restraint here, in La Sconosciuta. This movie has all of the essentials for a really cheesy melodrama but that’s not what this is – it’s a cold, shocking thriller. Irina has a ruthless pimp, a handsome lover and countless faceless abusers. She gets away and she becomes the ruthless one, mercilessly manipulating everyone around her.
The acting is wonderful and Kseniya Rappoport (a Russian actress who has played in many Italian movies) is perfect in the role of the emotionally dead Irina. The rest of the cast is completed with a list of some of the finest Italian actors; Margherita Buy (Days and Clouds), Michele Placido, Claudia Gerini (Iris Blond, Don’t Move), Piera Degli Esposti (Il Divo, My Mother’s Smile), and Pierfrancesco Favino (Come Undone).
I guess we are meant to be left with uncertainties but I have my own ideas what has happened. Of course the more I think about it (and I can’t stop thinking about it) the more I realize I might have it all wrong.
The Unknown Woman (2006)
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Writers: Giuseppe Tornatore (screenplay), Massimo De Rita (script collaborator)
Stars: Kseniya Rappoport, Michele Placido and Claudia Gerini
I Love Italian Everything 