Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- morally serious
- poignant
- reflective evening
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film well acted and poignantly grounded in moral responsibility, while considering it less powerful than the Dardenne brothers’ finest work.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jenny’s guilt over refusing to answer the after-hours bell drives her search for the dead teenager’s identity.
Jenny questions patients and people connected to the unidentified girl while continuing her medical work.
The Dardenne brothers use a working doctor, patients, police, and marginalized figures to examine responsibility within contemporary Belgian society.
Jenny’s identity as an efficient physician conflicts with her personal remorse and growing commitment to the case.
Films like The Unknown Girl, and why
Rosetta
socially conscious crime investigation, moral responsibility, and restrained realist drama
The Child
Belgian social realism, working-class lives, and emotionally urgent ethical choices
The Secret in Their Eyes
a morally driven investigation unfolding through intimate procedural observation and subdued tension
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
- Release Date
- 2016-10-05
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (440)
Cast
- Adèle Haenel
- Olivier Bonnaud
- Jérémie Renier
- Louka Minnella
- Nadège Ouedraogo
- Christelle Cornil
- Olivier Gourmet
- Pierre Sumkay
- Yves Larec
- Ben Hamidou
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Unknown Girl about?
- A Belgian doctor turns her guilt over a closed door into a relentless search for the identity of a dead teenager.
- What is The Unknown Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Unknown Girl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Unknown Girl violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Unknown Girl as mild.
- What did critics think of The Unknown Girl?
- Critics broadly found the film well acted and poignantly grounded in moral responsibility, while considering it less powerful than the Dardenne brothers’ finest work.
- Which films are like The Unknown Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include Rosetta, The Child, and The Secret in Their Eyes.
- How long is The Unknown Girl?
- The Unknown Girl runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Unknown Girl?
- In United States, The Unknown Girl streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now.
