3.5 stars out of 5
In the 90s, I’d often be in a record store, flipping through the Miscellaneous U section, searching for albums by Unrest. In the process, I’d often happen upon discs by the band Unsane, so that was my first thought when this movie was announced.
But it was the trailer that truly grabbed by attention. Without getting into my own life (for once!), I was really intrigued by the idea of someone getting stuck in a psych ward against her will. Learning that Steven Soderbergh (hot off the terrific miniseries Mosaic) was the director assured this wouldn’t be pure exploitation. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
The buzzworthy trivia about this film is that Soderbergh shot it entirely on an iPhone. I can’t say it’s really noticeable, though the movie has an appropriately insular and claustrophobic look and feel. As a little bonus, it felt like the shortest end credits since the 1960s; “Thanks Verizon Wireless” and that was about it.
The basics: Spooked by a stalker, Sawyer (Claire Foy) moves to a new city. But the trauma still haunts her, so she seeks therapy. Unfortunately, Sawyer doesn’t read the “boilerplate” details on the center’s paperwork and suddenly finds herself “voluntarily” committed. She definitely has some psychological issues, so she’s a bit of an unreliable protagonist here. Has her stalker actually been hired by this facility, or is Sawyer losing it?
The cast is great. I don’t watch The Crown so I don’t know Claire Foy, but she does a real nice job, looking like a young Sarah Paulsen with a dash of Rachel McAdams tossed in. Sawyer is a pretty unlikable person, so kudos to Foy for never allowing us to stop rooting for her.
As fellow patient Nate, SNL vet Jay Pharoah truly surprises. Sure, he’s a gifted impressionist, but who would’ve guessed he’d turn in such an impressive dramatic performance? Soderbergh, evidently. Nate also keeps us guessing — is he secretly writing an exposé of the facility, or is he just another deluded patient?
I loved seeing Amy Irving as Sawyer’s mom. We instantly see where the daughter gets her type-A, I-don’t-care-if-you-like-me personality from. Joshua Leonard delivers a workmanlike creepiness as the stalker — or maybe not stalker. An unrecognizable Juno Temple has a blast as a nasty, tough-girl-from-the-streets patient who mercilessly taunts Sawyer. Zach Cherry, very funny on Crashing, is just trying to do his job as a facility staffer. In a tiny role, I was happy to see not-tiny Robert Kelly who played Louis CK’s brother on Louie. I miss Louis CK and I don’t care who knows it!! And, no spoiler, but there’s a fun flashback cameo by a Soderbergh buddy.
The movie raises an important topic — one I think I experienced last year — medical facilities that hold patients longer than necessary, solely to keep those insurance payments coming in. There are also a couple of pleasing (and I hope, intentional) nods to an obvious influence, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. And when things do get a bit more exploitative — fights and chases and so on — the film actually gets more and more enjoyable. My diagnosis: I recommend voluntarily locking yourself in with this flick for 98 minutes.
Jack Silbert, curator