Reviews on movie Unsane (45)

'Unsane' is a very ambiguous movie that immediately caught my interest, namely the method of shooting (this creation was shot on IPhone 7 +) and the very idea of the film. This method can catch up with a great atmosphere, as they say. But could the director do it? I'll be brief.

I will immediately say that the plot is actually very simple, but at first you just don’t understand, everything that happens on the screen, happens (eh, tautology) in the head of the main character performed by Claire Foy, who played her character on 5 plus, or for real? In fact, the plot here fades into the background, and in the first, of course, the atmosphere. Here Stephen Soderbergh survived everything that could be from the iPhone camera. Shooting from different (unusual) angles gives the film the very atmosphere I expected, and the soundtrack here is qualitative, something even reminded of the music from the film ' It Follows' 2014. It is the non-standard shooting, soundtrack, location of shooting (mental hospital) that give this work, so to speak, an inflating and catching atmosphere.
As for the acting - it is here at a very high level, despite the fact that there are almost no famous actors, which is very happy (but there is Matt Damon, who played a police officer). Claire Foy, as I wrote above, played her role perfectly, all the emotions conveyed by her character make the viewer empathize and believe her character. Joshua Leonard also did not slow down in acting throughout the film.
Thus, ' Not in himself' is a quality psychological thriller (but not a horror) with a beautiful acting, which stands out very much against the background of other films in this genre. The experiment with shooting a film with a phone camera from Stephen Soderbergh was successful. Lovers of the genre definitely advise. I'm rated 8 because of the simple scenario. I think I could have gotten a little confused about the script.

8 out of 10

This is the story of how one of the main innovators of Hollywood today Stephen Soderbergh decided to make a horror movie. With a massive baggage of dramas (“Sex, Lies and Video”, “Erin Brockovich”, “Call Girl”), thrillers (a trilogy about Ocean’s friends, “Infection”, “Traffic”) and comedies (“Super Mike”, “Luck of the Logans”), as well as experience in working on the series (“Nickerbocker Hospital”), Stephen takes up the script of the little-known duo Bernstein – Greer, the background of whose work did not receive special recognition either from critics or viewers. I believe that this is what saved the project, because if someone else were to sit in the director’s chair, the film would immediately lose almost all its advantages.

The most important of them for me was camera work - Soderbergh is known as one of the main supporters of mobile photography, so this time he shot the entire timekeeping on his own on the seventh iPhone. This is an extremely successful solution for this plot, since the uncomfortable, angular and not quite cinematic picture that Athos gives, from the very first frames is striking and creates a feeling of discomfort, some barely perceived tension, and the unusual angles from which we observe the actors only add alarming expectations. This is how the director begins his play with the viewer.
The atmosphere of growing madness is emphasized by rather sharp transitions from one color scheme to another: here we have a hospital room, where almost everything is full of its blue shades, and after a couple of seconds the viewer already follows along with the characters along the murky green corridors, flights of stairs and semi-dark reception rooms. Before you have time to blink, as the camera captures bright courtyards or rooms where everything is painted under something similar to a gzhel. These jumps on the palette again create somewhere in the subconscious of the viewer a feeling of tension, a certain deviation from the norm. We go crazy together with the main character, increasingly doubting what we saw and heard.

The only thing I can say about Claire Foy is that she's smart. Not an outstanding, but rather firmly played image. But her colleagues can not boast of at least memorable characters, except, perhaps, Jay Faro, who played the ubiquitous optimistic African American, the plot branch of which is really curious to watch. The main male image of the film, which is perhaps a hallucination of the heroine, performed by Joshua Leonard, is a typical bearded, nothing special among other movie-ridden bearded people.

The main disadvantage of the tape can be considered, perhaps, the script. This is my classic quip, but I can’t mention it. Expectations from the trailer were apparently overstated, which made the plot itself seem rather crumpled and not fully disclosed. As they say, swing on the ruble, a blow to eighty kopecks.

I also didn’t like some of the actions of some of the characters that were probably supposed to characterize them, but either I’m stupid or I’m not very good. For some reason I want to attribute all the disadvantages to the duet of screenwriters, since almost all the shoals in the film are from these guys.
But everything else was carefully taken care of by Maestro Soderbergh, whose talent it would be foolish not to recognize. I believe that it is worth thanking him for such a powerful camera work, curious installation, strong atmosphere and strong staging in general. I believe that without him, the tape would have become an ordinary passerman, but the style and taste in every detail - that's what dragged the kinich. Translating words into numbers, I will say that the technique is 9, the content is 6, as a result, we round up to whole and get a curious thriller with a bias in horror, which will definitely appeal to connoisseurs of a fresh look at rather banal stories.

I understand perfectly well that the topic of harassment has exhausted everyone and everything, so let me first state something: the plot plot of “Not in itself” is based on the persecution of a girl by someone. A ton of texting, phone calls, and just a manic desire from a girl. She has to move to another city, gets a new job, but cockroaches do not let her go.

Surprisingly, in the film, where the main mover goes to the hospital, Soderbergh does not treat any of his characters. The story of a girl named Sawyer, who becomes the victim not only of a feral bearded man, but also of a fierce medical scam, focuses exclusively on fears and their derivatives. Towards the middle, the heroine begins to assume that she is paranoid, and her mother unwittingly thinks that the hospital, where the most repulsed are the staff, is not the worst option. The picture is very similar to another Soderbergh film “Side Effect”, but instead of the “thriller” component, we throw a suspense. Peeping from behind the blinds, curled necks, and naturally errands in the woods. All of this is available and looks convincing.

Psychological fear is the strongest. Soderbergh understands this, and therefore allows Foy to break down in the frame, indicating the seriousness of what is happening. And it’s good that he “manipulates” Foy, who managed to coolly portray a girl who wants to be lonely in an hour and a half. To her, the idea is as manic as it is to her pursuer. The actress, by the way, perfectly coped with the image, turning off her British accent, and working through each mood swing. During the film, she manages to be several times both cheerful and apathetic.
All in all, "Not in Yourself" is a good example of how a serious social context fits perfectly with things that are still not ashamed to call art. And given that the film was shot in just a week, Soderbergh does not sin to shout “bravo”.
8 out of 10

Steven Soderbergh has long been a director who can afford to film his own ideas. One such idea was to make a movie on iPhohe. Thinking about the plot, together with screenwriter James Greer, came to the next idea. . .

The girl seeks help from a psychiatrist. The thought of a stalker terrorizing her for two years prevented her from leading a happy life. Suddenly she finds herself locked up in the hospital where the same persecutor works.
Psychological hospital thriller, but not horrors, alas, we again slip a cat in a bag.
Like Rosemary's Baby, like Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest, however, there are no paranoid scenes in the film that Polanski had, and there is no atmosphere that Foreman had.
It is strange that the writers and director of this level, the film turned out to be literally calibrated to a millimeter from the textbook of film schools, which made it seem predictable in those places where it should not be, but at the same time was very unexpected where it would be worth losing momentum. The creators paid much attention to the structure and details, such as the knife of the neighbor of the main character or the cross of the mother, but at the same time completely forgot about the tact. The film is very slow at the beginning, and even in the middle, but by the end it accelerates so that you do not have time to digest all the events happening on the screen.
From what I really liked, I can note the innovative idea to shoot cheaply and angrily, and of course, the crazy game of Claire Foy, literally lived his role on the screen.
Despite the fact that “Not in Myself” & #39 received good critical acclaim, I believe that the film is frankly weak and simple in its performance.

You know, while watching, I really wanted to marvel at how you can shoot the whole movie on the camera iPhohe 7 Plus. This successful experiment by Steven Soderbergh almost made me stop watching and yet... it succeeded! No, there are disadvantages and there are many, but with what zeal the author decided to make a very ambitious project for me is a guarantee of quality. And the suspense of Clare Foy, the horror of Joshua Leonard and making an unusual plot made me believe a little that such hospitals exist in America. No maniacs. But I am normal, in terms of mentality, although I had experience with such people.
The opening credits, which create the effect of the old series of the early 2000s, make you watch with a sinking heart and a trembling soul as Claire Foy, being an intelligible woman, can not cope with the crushed system, and then gets, as she thinks, by mistake in the Enterprises Center (shortly in a psychiatric hospital, sorry Star Trek fans). Despite all the love and dislike for the project, I understand that the heroine would not have had a chance if she had not made a friend of Nate (Jay Faro) and most importantly, the problem was not only in one of the orderlies David Strane, but in her happiness. Unhappy life always derails us, but we are not perfect, and sometimes we need to throw this energy out by spontaneous action. But people, both in freedom and in a psychiatric hospital, can not adapt completely, from this suicidal thoughts arise, they say you die, and you will feel better. But there can be no such thing that a person is forcibly ... but although.
The actors played nicely, especially Juno Temple in the form of Violet, which is the image of bitchy beauties and how not to mention Damon, probably appeared in the film entry of the dispute (Soderbergh: Can you play a brainwasher like the 5th Generation Adaptar Church? Matt: I don't know, but you think I can. Steve: I bet, because such an experiment rarely agree with celebrities and it came out good, but pathetically short!
Not in myself - I consider not so much a horror film as a thriller, catching up with horrors with an alarming atmosphere. Therefore, try to do everything so that your life is not like this.

The story of how a nervous, hysterical girl, exhausted by experiences due to the persecution of a manic admirer, turns to a psychologist and mistakenly signs a paper on voluntary imprisonment in a psychiatric clinic. She is hospitalized, locked up despite protests, and drugged. To her horror, she meets her pursuer there under the guise of a medical professional. No one believes it and only increases the amount of drugs. Thus begins the story of her torment, psychological and physical, disgusting to the point of nausea.
Sounds like a good thing for a thriller, right?
But the implementation disappointed me.

The first half of the film was boring, there was a feeling that everything was somehow schematic, tense, and even slow. I was thinking of leaving. Then it became more alive, but the thought of how it would be good to leave the cinema soon and go home did not leave. This is not the type of thriller that keeps you stressed or scared. It's just a bit of a mess.

It feels like the famous director decided to play with a new format for himself, not expecting anything from it. And it turned out so well.

It seems that if we consider everything separately – quite decent (I mean technical performance, acting, etc.). In general, it doesn’t work.

It was awkward when watching, as when talking to a not very sincere interlocutor.

Movies like this have always attracted my interest. And I am sure that not only mine, enough people love films about a mentally ill main character suffering from one or another mental disorder. I know a lot of people who like it.

And this picture seemed to be what it was. The main action takes place in a psychiatric hospital, where the main character is kept against her will, and she considers herself absolutely healthy. The description and slogan of the film are intriguing and give vague hints that perhaps the main character is not so healthy mentally. Well, you could say that trick worked and I took a bite. You managed to lure me to your movie in the cinema.

I will immediately say that the picture is not on the topic of various dissociative identity disorders, so fans of this will likely not be satisfied. I was in that number, too. Also, there are no unexpected plot twists in the film, which again was slightly disappointed. Throughout the second half of the tape, I waited for them and made various guesses about how things might turn out and how things will develop further. But I never expected anything like that. This may not be a bad thing, but I prefer the way it is written above. The plot is linear and one-sided.

Also for the thriller (yes, this is not a horror) I lacked tension and atmosphere, the whole film looks smooth and calm. The painting lacks nerve. On purpose, close-ups of the faces of the main characters even annoyed. There are also many questions about the script.

And if in general, the picture is not bad, but I did not have much to experience the necessary emotions, so only for once.
6 out of 10

This film serves as new proof that the actress Claire Foy all the roles on the shoulder, and if you have not seen her early work in TV series and already in films, then I advise you to catch up, this is the actress whose name in the future will appear on the most worthy awards and has already appeared on the Golden Globe, and the Oscars will not keep waiting – to maintain her acting talents.
Soderbergh shot the entire film on an iPhone, the flair of which did not fail at all, the experimental innovation in the shooting process is inferior in quality to shooting from expensive professional cameras, but the format that is available bears fruit, we find ourselves as if behind the backs of the heroes, feeling their breath, their heartbeat, without any 3D immersing in a closed nervous shock, finding ourselves in tight rooms exuding a stream of sharp verbal blows to the psychological state of a person. Shooting has become more convex and let’s say documentary in artistic terms, another standard camera could be shot in principle as well, but due to the portability of the mobile device, it gropes every time the necessary space to convey the full range of emotions of the characters, feeling unlimited freedom in choosing angles.

In the plot, everything is tied to emotions and words, where the answers to the riddle are hidden in the consciousness of the central character, and in the final there is still room for reasoning, which may seem simple, but with an input to those things heard that change our views regarding psychological deviations. Details - a psychiatric hospital with its hidden secrets, patients with their cockroaches in the head, and the main person of the whole film, the heroine Claire Foy - whose stay in this place provoked conflict with her constant stalker in everyday life, a man passionately in love with her and does not want to let her go one meter. The whole story is like chains wrapped around your body, creating a kind of straitjacket, and the intrigue that is born from moment to moment will give vividness to these sensations. And as for the musical accompaniment, it famously climbs under your skin, and slowly with a noticeable tingling gets to the brain, doubling the effect of tension.
And who knows what, where the panic attack coupled with loneliness, and where the reality itself, in which all fears can be true.

Stephen Soderbergh is now perhaps one of the most extraordinary directors of Hollywood. Known primarily in the trilogy about Ocean's friends Steven did not adhere to the genre of criminal tapes about robberies further, albeit recently returned to him in good 'Luck Logan'.Soderberg - a person who shoots what he wants and how he wants. After Ocean’s friends, he can make a film with Sasha Gray in the lead role, take up a film about male striptease with McConaughey and Tatum, or tell Cheguevara’s biography. And then go to TV with 'Knickerbocker Hospital' As you can see, Stephen successfully practices the first part of pro 'removing what I want' And finally part of the pro ' shoot as I want' plays a leading role after the release of his new project 'Not in himself'.Soderberg in the 21st century decided to completely shoot a movie on an iPhone, proving to everyone that in our time the shooting process has become much more accessible. Why did he decide that? Because it can. Because he wanted to. And because Soderbergh decided again to give something new to everyone and himself. And it turned out very well.

Undoubtedly, the form of feeding the tape leaves its imprint on perception. Here we have a heroine with an unusual name Sawyer Valentini performed by the wonderful Claire Foy. And she's having trouble with the guy who fell in love and stalked her without boundaries. Of course, this will make the psyche a little weaker. Sawyer voluntarily goes to the clinic to talk to a psychologist, but no longer finds herself locked in a strange clinic surrounded by real mental patients for more complete treatment. In a clinic where her stalker resurfaces, which is now much harder to escape. But to realize the reality or unreality of your fears is quite difficult. It is with this that Soderbergh tries to play at the beginning: at first it becomes not clear whether the foy is crazy and whether the whole situation rages only in her mind. This part undoubtedly contributes to the chosen Soderbergh method of shooting. Close-ups of the characters allow you to feel close to them, whipping up the atmospheric fears of the heroine. And the entertaining solution of the heroine's psychosis draws into itself, but Soderbergh quite quickly reveals the true maps, moving away from immersion in the madness of consciousness to the suspense of manic persecution, tightly combining the second with the first. And again, the presentation works for the audience: static limited frames that do not allow you to look over the shoulder, no matter how much you want, the proximity of the main character and her terrible pursuer, which is unpleasant and put into a stupor. Soderbergh skillfully creates a tense atmosphere of the thriller, where you do not know what will turn out for the main character.

In such a shooting, of course, the main person targeted by the camera must play every emotion at a decent level. Thankfully, the true Queen of England comes first. Foy wonderfully copes with the task set before her, stubbornly trying not to notice the viewer's gaze that is right in front of her. The silent observer in the face of the audience is in every room where the action takes place. The feeling of a tight trunk, a strong impact on the glass or a room closed on all sides - everything works for the atmospheric immersion of people in front of the screen.

To be a silent observer somewhere behind an invisible glass or peeping from around the corner is more important to Soderbergh than history, but he does not forget about it either. The narrative of manic persecution and psychosis that it generates is skillfully maintained according to the laws of the thriller and allows you to languish in anticipation of further denouement. There are no rash actions of the main character, and every small detail, so closely considered by the viewer, will play a role and will be even closer in the future. But decent script work is not the main thing here. Framing clearly prevails over content. Soderbergh pulls the viewer into what is happening with all his strength thanks to a breathtaking soundtrack that corresponds to the mood of persecution and madness, editing and, most importantly, the camera. The camera of the simplest phone, which is now in the hands of every third person. And this is the most valuable 'Unsane' Of course, Sean Baker with his 'Mandarin' has already shown the capabilities of iPhone cameras, but who better than the versatile Soderbergh to raise this bar higher and successfully consolidate it so that every young ambitious creator could grasp it. Undoubtedly, to take and shoot every third as a director 'Not in himself' it will not work, but Stephen clearly demonstrates that the necessary means for the birth of future Soderbergh and someone else are in every pocket. Claire Foy is unfortunately not included.

Perhaps this creation would have gone completely unnoticed by the viewer, but one detail changed everything: the film was shot on iPhone 7 Plus. It's new, it's cool, I wanted to see it on the big screen.
The director’s reins were taken by the famous director Stephen Soderbergh (a trilogy about Ocean, ' Logan’s Luck'), for whom experience in filming horror was the first. The film was filmed in just ten days in complete secrecy. And now the question arises: did Soderbergh successfully prove that a novice filmmaker only needs an imagination and an iPhone camera to make a good film? Yes, we did.

The plot is generally undeveloped and moves straight. For some, it may be a regret that the main intrigue is declassified already somewhere in the second act of the narrative (for me, this did not play a significant role), and it is in this part of the scene that the monotonous and boring enough to get bored. In the rest of the picture, you manage to captivate and watch what is happening with interest: you especially want to highlight the ending, which turned out to be exceptionally stunning, brisk and unpredictable, exactly by this moment the suspense catches up the most. Almost all the action takes place in a psychiatric clinic, but do not be afraid: you will not suffer from the scarcity of locations, there is enough diverse entourage.
If you talk about the quality of filming, I was satisfied, even liked it. The image looks more 'live', and a sharp color scheme and a slight dullness successfully harmonize with the tone and atmosphere of the unfolding events. The use of the smartphone also ensured the production of filming in places difficult to reach for ordinary cameras, which went to the tape only for the benefit. There is almost no music, but each of the suddenly arising compositions is relevant and memorable.

Half of the movie's success is Claire Foy's. Her genuine and emotional performance is simply magnificent, and given the time in which the picture was shot, you have to respect the actress even more. And I can’t help but say a few words about Joshua Leonard: his character turned out to be as nasty and disgusted as possible, which means that the artist successfully coped with his task (P.S.). In a cameo lit up one famous Hollywood guy, you will be pleasantly surprised.

'Not in himself' - an unexpectedly useful and flamboyant experiment, which is recommended to go not only because of the interesting picture, but also for the sake of the undisappointing content and wonderful work of the British Foy.
By the way, when the final credits begin, do not leave, but watch them to the end: estimate how many minutes it takes to mark all those involved in the creation of the film shot on the iPhone. Good to see you!

7 out of 10

Steven Soderbergh shoots a horror movie... It's unusual in itself. So what happened to that?

The plot is catchy. Here you go. Sawyer runs away from his stalker fan, trying to start a new life. As a result of a medical insurance scam, the girl is placed in a psychiatric clinic, although she is not sick. In fact, one of the doctors is her pursuer! In my opinion, this is interesting in itself. And, believe me, the script will please you more than once with inventive and unexpected turns.

Is the movie scary? Nope. Pathologically. But atmospheric. Everything points to the hopelessness of the position of the main character. The walls of the mental hospital weigh on us as much as they do on Sawyer. It's like everyone's conspiring, she's doomed. At the same time, everything is shot only on the smartphone camera, almost without special effects, which gives charm. Stressful, exciting, believable.

The actors are great. Claire Foy perfectly played a character with a difficult past, caught in a terrible situation. Jay Faro played at the level, without any mistakes. I really liked Gibson Frazier as an unflappable doctor-swindler.
' Not in himself' - a great movie, which is able to please not only fans of horror.
8.5 out of 10

The film from the very first frame sets the viewer in the right way. An alarming atmosphere, fear, obsessive behavior of a strange stranger and finally the escape of the heroine to an unfamiliar city. Soyer Valentini is locked up in a psychiatric clinic with her stalker.

At this point, the main part of the story begins. Unlike most such paintings about madmen, there is an atmosphere of surrealism here - Soer is not only surrounded by psychopaths, but also in the clinic with the same orderly who pursues her. The director not in vain refused to name the genre of the film, as the thriller gradually turns into a horror film. And when the heroine begins to doubt her own mind, at some point the viewer ceases to understand how events will develop further. And only when her pursuer begins active action, the time of doubt for Soer passes.
The film shows very well how a healthy person will feel, being among the crazy. However, there is no reflection on who is really healthy and who is crazy, there is no mention of it. But colorfully described female hatred, sexual harassment, the actions of psychotropic substances and other charms of such institutions. So Soyer will just fight for survival. In some moments, the picture even approaches the genre of thrash, but the director always manages to press the stop button in time.
Of course, the film is far from such films as “The Shawshank Escape”. Throughout the session, people spoke periodically, sometimes leaving the hall. To be honest, it was hard for me to stay focused throughout the show. Still, the director failed to maintain tension throughout the film. The changes in anxiety and reflection were weak. However, in some scenes the film was very good. The monologues of the main character, as well as her desperate attempts to escape from the ill-fated clinic with flattery and manipulation, cause genuine respect.

There are also questions about the cast. If Claire Floy perfectly played a woman who, due to certain circumstances, turned out to be a little “out of her mind”, then a number of secondary characters in my opinion looked quite unconvincing. The most disappointing was the African-American who played Soyer's friend in a psychiatric hospital. Among the lunatics, he looked so unnatural that it caught the eye like a red blot on a sheet of black and white paper. But in general, due to the main characters, the atmosphere was still preserved.

There are films that are made mainly for fans of their genre. For fans of thrillers, “Not in yourself” may seem quite a good picture. Of course, it is designed more for women than for men, but personally I never regretted that I attended this show. Therefore, if you want to feel acute emotions, you can take a risk.
7 out of 10

Many people have a great fear of their own, and there is nothing to be ashamed of, because the very feeling of fear only proves that a person is capable of feelings. However, when fear becomes a big problem that violates the usual routine of life, then this problem should not be avoided, because sooner or later it will overtake, and it is necessary to eliminate it. To the topic of combating their fears and at the same time to the problem of the American health care system is addressed by Stephen Soderbergh in the debut psychological horror film “Not in yourself”.
Synopsis For the past two years, Sawyer Valentini has been living in constant tension. She had to move to another city to change jobs. The reason for this is an attempt to hide from a persistent pursuer. To gather his strength and put his life in order, Sawyer turns to a support group. However, instead of helping her, she is placed in a psychiatric institution where there is no contact with the outside world. But the real nightmare begins when one of the members of the medical staff is her pursuer.
The film involves many different actors. There was a place even uncredited Matt Damon. However, I would like to mention, first of all, the play of Claire Voy as Sawyer. Usually in horror movies or thrillers, the main character is an ordinary girl who has only one task - the fight against evil. But in Out of Yourself, Claire Foy played a character with a difficult story about how the endless fear of her mad fan leads her into a trap where she will have to look into the eyes of this fear.
As you know, “Not in myself” was the debut for the director Steven Soderbergh in the horror genre. However, Steven Soderbergh would not be himself if he made a typical horror film about horror in a mental institution. In this film, in addition to the topic of our perception of reality, the fight against internal fears, he even managed to turn to the topic of criminal activity in the health care system. Scary? Nope. Exciting? - Definitely, yes. In fact, the director does not focus on fear, but rather tries to create an atmosphere of doom, a feeling that everyone around has conspired against the main character or, perhaps, everything that happens is a figment of Sawyer’s imagination. Speaking of shooting on the iPhone, I did not see any semantic load or secret idea. Most likely, this is only the idea of the director himself to prove that the attributes that are used in its creation are not important for a worthy film.

Before watching, you expect to see a famously twisted script with unexpected plot twists and a shocking ending, and at first it seems so. The main character, overcome by the mania of persecution, turns for help to the clinic “Mountain Creek”, which turns out to be a psychiatric hospital, where she is forcibly placed and refused to let go. Things get even worse when one of the paramedics turns out to be her mysterious stalker. You unwittingly begin to suspect what kind of mysticism or an unexpected twist with a split personality. However, the writers acted wisely, sticking to the principle of simplicity. Indeed, gradually a single storyline breaks down into two, and each comes to a logical conclusion. Of course, the plot is not without flaws. In particular, it still begs the question how the villain managed to calculate that the main character was locked up in the hospital, despite the fact that no one could know about it? But these are little things.

Result Lately, I’ve seen a trend towards the emergence of a new kind of horror film. Such films as “It” in 2014, “Babaduk”, “Neon Demon”, “Mama!”, “Murder of a Sacred Deer” are not for the mass audience, because in addition to the atmosphere of fear, they carry a certain semantic load, raise topical issues, presenting them under the sauce of horror. These can be attributed to “not in themselves”. I agree, it can not be called a typical horror film, but it is in this atypical nature that its dignity lies.

9 out of 10

A new work by Stephen Soderbergh was released, which stands out from the usual work of the director and both writers. Soderbergh also acted as an operator, but this time he was not behind a professional camera, but behind his iPhone. The film was shot in one week, without the use of sophisticated technique, effects and soundtrack. The most interesting thing is that it turned out very well. Not knowing about the “method” of filming before the screening, I was extremely surprised to learn about this after watching.
Let's start with the script. Despite the fact that in the history of cinema, a movie has been filmed more than once about people who get into a psychiatric hospital against their will, where “metamorphosis” occurred with them. (“Interrupted life”, “Flying over the cuckoo’s nest”, “Clair jacket”, “Forbidden reception” and so on) – this work will definitely take place among the others. The plot is built around a girl who is allegedly pursued by a man from the past. He used to throw her confessions of love, compliments and promises of a happy future. At some point, the girl blocked the persistent “amura” and went to live in another city. Over time, she began to have a real mania of persecution, and she turned to psychologists. Signing a “blind” couple of papers on treatment, she is immediately put in a psychiatric hospital and prescribed drugs. It is there that all the “most interesting” begins and strange things happen to the heroine.
No matter how much the environment put pressure on the girl, she did not think to give up, “fighting” for her freedom to the end. Awareness of the desperation of the situation leads her to “extreme measures”. The director successfully created a sharp psychological atmosphere with the experiences of the heroine. In addition, we see a clear development of the hero, which also plays an important role. There are no unnecessary dialogs, a change in the state and mood of the characters is clearly and logically built. There were also some unexpected twists and turns in the course of the plot, which is also difficult to achieve in our time. Despite the “simplicity” of the creation, such a movie should appeal to everyone who is tired of monotony. The script “Not in myself” can not be called “incredibly unique”, but it is also banal.

Operator work, installation and other technical aspects are not worth attention ... from the point of view of shooting on a professional camera. If we are talking about a smartphone – you need to praise the director for the idea and most importantly for the embodiment. To tape from the phone camera looked so impressive on the big screen, you need real professionalism.
Let's move on to acting. The main role was played by Claire Foy and coped with all the tasks. Experiences, fear, anger, suffering, corruption, indifference and a whole "bag" of emotions, the actress showed at a high level. The role of “lover” was played by Joshua Leonard. He did well to play an obsessed “psych”, ready to do anything for his “goal”. Also, there was a famous Juno Temple in the film, but here I would hesitate to call the game really strong. The fact is that the actress has more successful roles, where she showed a more professional game, and the role of an abnormal one, addressing the main character, was played much better before her.
Summing up, I would like to advise viewing the version of the original translation, in order to finally imbue the desired atmosphere. The film is emotional and contains many scenes in which you need to work hard on the credibility. “Not in himself” is definitely worth attention and should definitely be remembered by fans of this genre.
7 out of 10

Interesting picture of an interesting director with an interesting shape. Soderbergh-amateur experiment continues to delight with quite good work. And "Unsane" is just like that. But I can't say more - it's just good.

As Freilich defined the genre, it is convention. In this conditionality, the director works, subordinating everything that happens on the screen to her. The genre of the film, which is defined as horror, largely shows the attitude of the author to the problems that arise in the film. The genre shows his perspective on these topics and their state. And here there are several main problems: the problem of self-awareness, the problem of normality, the problem of the influence of capitalism, the problem of the position of women in society, the impact of liberalization of medicine, the problem of gadgets.

The last of the problems is largely revealed due to the shape of the film itself - it is shot on an iPhone. And the camera of the smartphone here is a full-fledged character who follows what is happening as if covertly, as many of the film’s heroes look in the eyes, in small windows, in the cuts between the blinds. You can hide in gadgets, plunge into the cloud, enjoy loneliness, clogging the void with social networks, but you can also get lost, lose your perception of the environment; and thanks to the Snowden leak, the world learned that people can be followed through them. And all these moments play an important role in the whole perception of Unsane, if you remember the instrument on which the shooting was made - and here it is easy to see the plexus, mutual influence, mutual creation and indivisibility of form and content, which Sontag spoke about.
The problem of normality largely shifts away from the question “what is the norm?” And this is largely answered by Mattison in his novel I Am Legend, where the protagonist realizes at the very end that monsters are not they, but he; because normality is determined by the majority, mass, blurring differences and defects, determines the norm, which is not always favorable and has something in common with the actual norm, which may not even be. And so we recall the approach to ideology and faith of Žižek, who well described faith through Santa Claus: parents do not believe in it, but pretend that they believe, because they think that the child believes, and they want to do him pleasure; and the child, in turn, does not believe, but thinks that parents believe the opposite, and he can get more gifts - that is, for the existence of faith it is not necessary to believe in it, it is enough that a person believes that someone believes. So here, the further the main character goes, the further the plot develops, the stranger her behavior seems from the outside, the viewer, and the heroine herself, begins to doubt her sanity more and more.
The problem with the liberalization of medicine is that every deviation, even the smallest, is increasingly being treated: they are given names, they begin to produce pills that people buy, wanting to get rid of the shortcomings, although they are not. Therefore, many people in many countries become simply obsessed with pills and treatments, and any problem that may already be realized, as in a film that does not need any serious treatment, but in a simple dialogue, begin to heal. And pharmacology is booming - money is running.
Hence the problem of capitalism, when throughout the plot Nate, Sawyer’s fellow misfortune, talks about insurance fraud: anyone can be declared insane, put in a clinic and suck money out of insurance. Such power comes at the expense of the power of the capital of this sphere, which enslaves people and conduct executions in the likeness of Kafka’s “Process”, which obsessively punches in the back of the head when watching “Unsane”.
Soderbergh's new film is really interesting. A good game with a long-studied genre, without any innovations and breakthroughs, it explores pressing problems, giving them a color of horror. The film is worth watching. It is pleasant to watch, because technically it is made without flaws: sometimes extremely interesting editing, the picture pleases the eye, the feature of the iPhone camera makes itself felt not in the bad sense of this phrase, and the music creates an excellent atmosphere of a psychological horror film. A lot of references to various classic films, references to literature - in the picture, if you want, you can go for a ride and dig a lot of things.
But you should not expect anything groundbreaking from the film. This is a well-crafted painting, but nothing more.