The Unknown Director: Arthur HarariCert: NoneGenre: Science FictionStarring: Léa Seydoux, Niels Schneider, Victoire Du Bois, Radu JudeRunning Time: 2 hrs 19 minsArthur Harari, the Oscar-winning cowriter of Anatomy of a Fall, follows his tremendous Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle with this high-concept, lo-fi science fiction. The Unknown reworks the body swap, a trope favoured by goofy romcoms, as elevated horror. David (played by Niels Schneider of I Killed My Mother) is a reclusive photographer who, following a sudden sexual encounter with a stranger, awakens as Léa Seydoux’s Eva. The gendered prudishness that governs 13 Going on 30 gives way to unsettling self-examination and an intriguing gumshoe plot as Eva attempts to track down her corporeal form, only to discover there are other parties involved. There are welcome intersections with the mysterious STIs lurking in Black Hole and It Follows, an unsettling, mournful score by Andrea Poggio, and visuals that echo such freaky psychedelic-era titles as Far from the Madding Crowd and The Go-Between.
Cannes First Look review: The Unknown – Léa Seydoux stars in Arthur Harari’s body-swap horror
Gendered prudishness that governs 13 Going on 30 gives way to unsettling self-examination and an intriguing gumshoe plot
169 words~1 min read
