Review of Unsane (2018) by Sybil R — 23 Mar 2018

Asylums and their terrifying connotations are far from a thing of the past. While the last of those infamous houses of horrors were shut down decades ago, the American mental health system continues to be nightmarish. Invoking that storied horror is what makes Unsane stand out more than the fact that it was filmed with a smart phone.

The decision to use a phone camera is at once gimmicky and revolutionary. Although this is a film by Steven Soderbergh, Unsane's cinematography, done by Soderbergh under an assumed name, comes across more like a student film. To a far lesser extent, the editing, again by the pseudonymous director, looks amateurish, with poorly-timed cuts to follow a character's gaze, but strings together the movie in a way that separates it from its wannabe auteur peers. At first blush, this technique seems experimental for the sake of it. Unsane's chilling narrative certainly doesn't benefit at all from being shot with a smart phone, but the format deconstructs typical horror and thriller conventions. I got the impression Soderbergh set out to mock Hollywood's bloated hundreds of million dollar budgets by making a professional movie with a camera anyone can afford. For example, I've written a lot on how blockbusters and horror movies overuse blue color correction, but Soderbergh one-ups them all by placing a blue filter over Unsane's most quintessentially horror moments. Other cinematographic techniques include unnerving extreme closeups and shots that are set-up diagonally towards the action, so that the characters rarely look directly into the camera. It gives off a voyeuristic vibe, as if the characters are being filmed surreptitiously.

It's fitting that this style is a close cousin to found footage, because it allows Jonathan Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) a chance to return to his roots. He convincingly plays a two-faced villain with a mild-mannered façade but a deeply disturbed inner-self. He makes a good match for star Claire Foy (Crowns), whose panicked behavior drives the plot without falling victim to the sheer idiocy horror characters are known for. One stand-out scene simulates a breakdown by superimposing footage of Foy from the front over footage following her from behind. Ultimately, though, Leonard's character fills a thriller archetype this movie does not need, when its depiction of mental health is scary enough. Unfortunately, every aspect of mental healthcare portrayed in the movie is completely accurate. I wonder if either of the screenwriters have battled mental health problems, because their script matches perfectly with how the system has impacted my life and the people around me. Although Leonard is redundant in this movie, the disturbing truth is that the for-profit mental health system enables people like him, which is why it is the true villain of Unsane.