Unsane

       Unsane is about a woman who, when visiting a therapist, is admitted to a mental hospital against her will. After many attempts to escape, she finds out that one of her stalkers is working there as well and the need to escape increases. She befriends some of the other patients and makes hostile connections with others. Eventually, after much searching, she finds out the horrible truth about the hospital and her stalker.
       I was intrigued enough by this premise to check it out. I didn't see much marketing for it so I didn't know what to expect going in. The only thing I knew going in was that the entire movie was shot on an iPhone 7 plus so I was interested in seeing how traditional cinematographic tactics would translate onto a mobile device. We will get into that in a bit, but as far as the story goes, this movie subverts your expectations. I was incredibly engaged in this movie. I was visibly frustrated at some parts and cheering at others. Claire Foy gives a wonderful performance alongside Joshua Leonard and Jay Pharoah.
       As for the look of the film, it's okay. I would say that the idea to shoot it on an iPhone makes the movie feel a bit more personal and it's amazing what they were able to do with its limitations, but it does bring up some problems. There are some moments in the movie where I couldn't tell if it was a phone or a standard movie camera, but there are many moments where I could. Anytime there was a tracking shot, you could see the jitteriness of the camera and how unstable it probably was. All the scenes where they shot in the woods at night are hard to watch. Since the quality of a phone camera dips at night, they had to find a way to make sure there wasn't any noise on the screen. They color graded the night shots very heavily to the point where you could only see the characters because they were wearing bright colored clothing. Other than that, the visual aesthetic that the iPhone brings is unique and imaginative. The only other problem I had was with how they introduced the stalker. I didn't even know he was the stalker until it was verbally stated and then I had to recall all the moments he was in the film until that point which was somewhat off-putting.
       Most of my gripes are rooted in the iPhone, but other than its a perfectly enjoyable film. Critics seemed to like this one, but audiences are showing to be negative with this one and I can understand why. If you can get past the visuals, you'll be able to have enough of a good time.
       Overall, Unsane is an engaging thriller with some visual problems, but has a great narrative that is brilliantly told through the powerful acting of Claire Foy. It's something you'll probably watch in the future, but I would recommend watching it in a theater if only for the sake of seeing iPhone camera work be translated onto a big screen. 8/10