The Unknown Girl debuted at Cannes last year to lukewarm feelings and reviews. Helmed by auteur directors, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, The Unknown Girl is a well made, yet disappointing release. The film follows Dr Jenny Gavin (Adele Haenel), as she uncovers the identity of a dead girl, who she had ignored after trying to enter her clinic for help.
In 2011, the Dardenne brothers released The Kid with a Bike, which is one of my favourite films of all time. Every single one of their films is gorgeously shot with beaming primary colours and realistic performances. This film is no exception, with immaculate, yet naturalistic direction, cinematography, editing and performances. On a technical filmmaking level, this is absolutely up to their normal standard.
The problems that I have with the film, are mostly to do with the storytelling and writing. While all the performances are quite good, each character is essentially a blank canvas for the whole film, with no real depth or complexity. In the Dardennes’ past films, the writing still allowed for subtle subdued characters, but in this film, the screenplay was bland, and lacking in dramatic punch.
Definitely see this film if you’re a fan of their past work. It’s not a bad film, it just has no real climax or dramatic payoff.
The Unknown Girl is screening at the 2017 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival.
The Unknown Girl review by Nick
