Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- dread-filled
- late night horror viewing
- contained thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film an effective, high-tech psychological thriller that combines Claire Foy's committed performance with Steven Soderbergh's energetic B-movie experimentation, though its genre machinery is familiar.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sawyer is trapped inside Highland Creek Behavioral Center while staff control her movement, medication, and access to outside help.
Steven Soderbergh shot the film on an iPhone, producing an unusually close and agile visual perspective around Sawyer.
Highland Creek exploits voluntary commitments and insurance payments by extending patients' confinement for financial gain.
Sawyer's move is motivated by David Strine's stalking, while his apparent reappearance inside the facility keeps her trauma active.
Films like Unsane, and why
Shutter Island
shares psychological horror, institutional confinement, and an uncertain boundary between persecution and mental instability
The Invisible Man
shares stalking trauma, paranoid tension, and a protagonist struggling to establish credibility
Gothika
shares claustrophobic psychological thriller mechanics, institutional power, and escalating helplessness
Session 9
shares contained horror, mental-health anxiety, and a predatory threat hidden within an apparently safe institution
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Soderbergh
- Release Date
- 2018-03-22
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1721)
Cast
- Claire Foy
- Joshua Leonard
- Jay Pharoah
- Juno Temple
- Aimee Mullins
- Amy Irving
- Sarah Stiles
- Marc Kudisch
- Colin Woodell
- Myra Lucretia Taylor
Where to watch in United States
- 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 Unsane about?
- A stalking survivor is trapped in a profit-driven psychiatric facility where the man she escaped may be hiding in plain sight.
- What is Unsane like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Unsane as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Unsane violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Unsane as moderate.
- What did critics think of Unsane?
- Critics generally found the film an effective, high-tech psychological thriller that combines Claire Foy's committed performance with Steven Soderbergh's energetic B-movie experimentation, though its genre machinery is familiar.
- Which films are like Unsane?
- Films with a similar feel include Shutter Island, The Invisible Man, Gothika, and Session 9.
- How long is Unsane?
- Unsane runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Unsane?
- In United States, Unsane is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
