Unsane

Unsane is a 2018 American psychological thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer. The film stars Claire Foy, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aynsley Burt, and Jonah Hergenröther. Kayla (played by Claire Foy) is a young and determined woman working as a marketing manager for a tech firm. Kayla is a driven individual who is fiercely dedicated to her career and her personal life. Unbeknownst to the audience, Kayla has been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks stemming from a past traumatic experience involving an abusive ex-boyfriend, Shane (played by Jay Pharoah). One day, while on a phone call with her sister, Kayla accidentally lies about her relationship with Shane, stating that he still works at the same company where they met. Feeling overwhelmed and anxious, Kayla makes a desperate decision to delete her social media accounts and change her work number, but in the process, she accidentally deletes her account with a phone app she uses for a psychiatric screening, which she initially used to test how the app was. The app, called 'The Evaluation', claims to use AI technology to connect users with potential dates or friends; however, the app secretly offers a feature that allows users to request evaluation and diagnosis from a network of mental health professionals. Unbeknownst to Kayla, the app has flagged her as a candidate for evaluation, and she begins to receive calls from a series of uncredited actors with increasingly aggressive language. Feeling harassed, Kayla goes to the emergency room, where she is involuntarily committed to a rundown psychiatric facility, Riverview, after being deemed mentally unstable by her own testimony and testimony of others. Kayla is shocked and distraught upon realising that this is the end result of her decision to delete the app, despite never explicitly applying for a psychiatric evaluation. As Kayla navigates her stay at Riverview, she is confronted with an unsettling atmosphere and a series of unsettling events, from being confined to a solitary room with a surveillance camera to experiencing terrifying hallucinations of her ex-boyfriend, Shane. The tension is heightened by the fact that her stay in the institution is indefinite, as it was the court's decision that she was not mentally fit for release. Kayla's attempts to communicate with her sister and her employers become increasingly frustrating, leaving her feeling isolated and alone. The only individual she finds somewhat sympathetic is a nurse named Lobb (played by Aynsley Burt) who occasionally talks to her but seems just slightly too interested in her personal affairs. Through a series of flashbacks, it's gradually revealed that Kayla's stay in Riverview is connected to her fear of being perceived as mentally unstable, which was a recurring anxiety from her past after an incident at high school when she was accused of cheating. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that much of her paranoia is driven by a genuine fear of being seen as unstable, stemming from her high school experience. Throughout the film, it's made clear that the psychiatric institution is a place where the mentally vulnerable are often misunderstood, mistreated, and institutionalized for longer than necessary. Riverview becomes a manifestation of Kayla's internal fears and a reflection of the societal stigma surrounding mental illness. In a clever twist, the film's use of mobile phone technology to create a sense of paranoia mirrors the reality of how we're now constantly connected to our technology, often creating an illusion of security and freedom. As Kayla grapples with the confines of Riverview and the trauma of her past, the lines between reality and paranoia become increasingly blurred. Unsane's gripping narrative explores themes of isolation, mental health, and personal freedom, using a unique style that combines elements of documentary and thriller filmmaking. Steven Soderbergh's direction adds a layer of tension to the narrative, often blurring the lines between reality and madness. The film leaves viewers with many questions, raising awareness about the importance of mental health and the power of media to shape our perceptions of ourselves and those around us.