La sconosciuta (2006)

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (screenplay) and
Massimo De Rita (script collaborator)

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

An Ukrainian woman named Irena calculatedly insinuates herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family...

Plot Keywords:

Maid | Nanny | Daughter | Humiliation | Building

Awards:

13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Kseniya Rappoport	...	Irena (as Xenia Rappoport)
Pierfrancesco Favino	...	Donato Adacher
Alessandro Haber	...	Porter
Claudia Gerini	...	Valeria Adacher
Michele Placido	...	Muffa
Piera Degli Esposti	...	Gina
Margherita Buy	...	Irena's lawyer
Ángela Molina	...	Lucrezia (as Angela Molina)
Clara Dossena	...	Tea Adacher
Nicola Di Pinto	...	Irena's lover
Paolo Elmo	...	Nello
Simona Nobili	...	Policewoman
Elisa Morucci	...	Waitress
Giulia Di Quilio	...	Secretary
Pino Calabrese	...	Magistrate

Also Known As:

L'inconnue (France)
The Other Woman (USA) (wide-release title)
The Unknown (International: English title)
The Unknown Woman (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing violent content involving rape and torture, graphic nudity, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | Germany:16 | Argentina:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | Italy:T | New Zealand:R18 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Trieste, Friuli - Venezia Giulia, Italy

Company:

Medusa Film

Trivia:

Italy's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of 'The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)'.

Movie Connections:

References Oliver Twist (2005)

Soundtrack:

Donna non vidi mai

Roma Film Festival - La Sconosciuta: we waited 6 years, but it's been worth it!

We have been waiting for Tornatore since Malena, in 2000, and now he has come back with this drama/ thriller, with a rather melodramatic plot inspired by the often very tragic news stories about the exploitation of women from East Europe in Italy. The main character, the Ukranian Irena, played by the wonderful and hardly known Russian stage actress Xenia Rappoport, has something very mysterious about her. She pursues an obscure aim, concerning the young Italian couple whom she works for and their 5 years old daughter. At the beginning the film has something very hitchcockian about it, then it turns to melodrama, with many emotional moments (don't forget your hankies!) There are few very hard scenes, with much violence, mental and physical. Tornatore does the usual good work. In this film he could count on a capital cast, including, besides Rappoport, the cream of the crop of Italian acting: an hairless and extremely sleazy Michele Placido, the very good Claudia Gerini and Pierfrancesco Favino, Alessandro Haber, Piera degli Esposti and Margherita Buy, who agreed to appear just a few minutes by the end of the film. Clara Dossena, the child actress who play one of the key characters of the film, is not only incredibly cute, but also much talented. A very remarkable thing is the score by maestro Ennio Morricone. Some critics said it's too invasive, but God, it's beautiful. I think you will love the sweet and heartbreaking "Lullaby theme". On the whole, a convincing film. Probably the best of the first Roma Film Festival. My rating is 8/10