A dark mystery unfolds as a young doctor obsessively investigates the suspicious death of a young, unidentifiable woman found near her clinic.
The buzzer rings as young female doctor, Jenny Davin, and her intern, Julien, are working late in the doctor’s clinic one night. As Julien moves towards the door Davin stops him as she just wants him to finish his work so they can both go home. Little does she know that the woman at her door would be found dead the following morning next to the nearby river with nothing on her with which to identify her.
Davin is wracked with the guilt of knowing that if she’d just let Julien check the door this young woman would still be alive. While still tending to the doctor’s practice, she becomes obsessed with identifying this mysterious woman and attempting to understand what happened that fateful night. As Davin starts to dig deep into the worlds of her patients and co-workers, she finds herself heading down a dark and often dangerous path in search of the ultimate truth.
What makes The Unknown Girl stand out amongst a sea of murder mysteries is the almost-documentary-like aesthetic of the film. Not once does music play during the movie, as it does not rely on the typical Hollywood-style of a loud, tension-building soundtrack, but rather allows the advances of the storyline combined with the superb acting create an atmosphere of unease and tension.
Directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have also chosen a neutral palette of greys, blacks, browns and whites which not only gives the film a more realistic representation of a low socio-economic part of town, but also an aesthetic synonymous with a dark thriller. Another noticeable feature is that all the sets and locations actually appear like real, existing places (a small, un-impressive, basic flat in which Dr Gavin lives), and not fake, dressed up (or down) locations that Hollywood would create, re-enforcing the documentary-like feeling that the Dardenne’s appear to aim for.
It is almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing lead character Dr.. Davin. French actress Adèle Haenel so perfectly captures the compassionate and obsessive young doctor. Haenel makes Davin feel real, from mastering the knowledge and confidence of an intelligent doctor to embodying the unstoppable determination of a deeply empathetic woman driven by such a strong sense of guilt.
The Unknown Girl is an incredibly realistic murder-mystery that is an impressive break from the average crime thriller. Talented acting and divergent directing make it a must-see at this year’s French Film Festival.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox
Rating out of 10: 8
The Unknown Girl will screen on 10 and 13 April for the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, which runs 30 March – 23 April 2017 exclusively at the Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas.
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