La sconosciuta (2006)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (screenplay) and
Massimo De Rita (script collaborator)

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

An Ukrainian woman named Irena calculatedly insinuates herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family...

Plot Keywords:

Nanny | Daughter | Maid | Blood | Stabbed In Stomach

Awards:

12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Kseniya Rappoport	...	Irena (as Xenia Rappoport)
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Donato Adacher
Alessandro Haber	...	Porter
Claudia Gerini	...	Valeria Adacher
Michele Placido	...	Muffa
Piera Degli Esposti	...	Gina
Margherita Buy	...	Irena's lawyer
Ángela Molina	...	Lucrezia (as Angela Molina)
Clara Dossena	...	Tea Adacher
Nicola Di Pinto	...	Irena's lover
Paolo Elmo	...	Nello
Simona Nobili	...	Policewoman
Elisa Morucci	...	Waitress
Giulia Di Quilio	...	Secretary
Pino Calabrese	...	Magistrate

Also Known As:

L'inconnue (France)
The Other Woman (USA) (wide-release title)
The Unknown (International: English title)
The Unknown Woman (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing violent content involving rape and torture, graphic nudity, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | Germany:16 | Argentina:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | Italy:T | New Zealand:R18 | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Trieste, Friuli - Venezia Giulia, Italy

Company:

Medusa Film

Trivia:

Italy's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

Soundtrack:

Donna non vidi mai

Might stop your heart

Tornatore has already earned a spot in cinema's hall of fame with its tribute to the movies. He certainly took his time to come up with a film that comes close to match the masterpiece "Paradiso" is, and he might have surpassed it with its emotional impact. "Paradiso" builds on nostalgia and sweetness; "Woman" is a raw, better executed project that explores emotions ranging from sweetness to plain, relentless evil.

Kseniya Rappoport plays the title role and does what very few actresses have ever managed to do, a nearly flawless performance, a role of such magnitude and complexity that might serve as inspiration for future generations in the way Vivien Leigh and Meryl Streep set the bar before in "Gone With the Wind" and "Sophie's Choice". Both of those films introduced women who survived, without ever allowing their spirits to become sad entities. Instead, they thrived in the devastating circumstances of each's ordeal. Irena is another survivor, one that can't allow anything to lose her focus. She is driven to recover some of the happiness she found and lost, and with her new "family" she might just do that.

Tornatore's storytelling is not linear, and it is one hell of a story, one that will grab your interest, squeeze your heart until it begs for mercy, and one that is bound to provoke more than a few uncomfortable reactions in the audience, as it unfolds each of its many layers. It is modern day Italy, and a woman shows up in a building, asking for work in order to survive. Soon, we learn she has apparently more than enough resources to do very well on her own, but she has a rather dark and traumatizing past, one that is still haunting her, and as we eventually discover, one that might prove to be lethal to a few people in the story.

Irena is a formidable woman, a determined fighter who learns quickly and uses her resources fearlessly. She is no superwoman, and eventually learns that her past is still very much affecting her current decisions. Watching the movie, it is hard to keep your eyes away from Irena, as she slowly gets closer and closer to her goal. As we observe her actions and arrive to the heart stopping final minutes of the film, we also wonder what is it that kept her trapped for so many years since she is so able to manipulate people in her current incarnation. It is the only time we question the character's make up, yet we can also remember that Darwin argues the fittest will survive.

The film is a work of exquisite writing and editing, with sure direction by Tornatore and one superb score by Ennio Morricone, one that only adds more power to individual scene and is as memorable as some his classic compositions. "Woman" is guaranteed to keep your eyes glued to the screen, and pretty much like "4 Months, 3 Weekss, and 2 Days" last year will leave you gasping for air and reaching for your heart, as we become witness to a story that will pull you its powerful reach but will also repulse because of some dark elements in the make up of human nature.

It is an instant classic!