Desconhecida

How to separate truth from fiction in Rachel Weisz's character in "Complete Unknown" is the key to the story of a biologist who has led a deceptive life laced with a ton of 'fertilizer'. She has so many falsities in her life story she can't keep them all straight. She appears at a party at Tom's (Michael Shannon) house as the date of his best friend and beguiles the group with so much fabrication that they begin to see through her. But not as fast as Tom, who dated her at some time previous and knows that she isn't even using her real name.

"Complete Unknown" is a character study, about which the moral is 'know thyself' (unless, of course, you don't want to). Lot of good chemistry between Shannon and Weisz, who play off each exceptionally well. The story becomes increasingly beside the point as watching the two display their acting chops. In sum, a silly story held together by two pros. It's an 'indy' which won't get a lot of exposure but is a treat from an acting standpoint.

Tom played by Michael Shannon is having one of those 'crisis' moments in his life. Whilst on the surface he has all the trappings of success, under the wafer thin surface he is falling apart and losing those things that he had once used to define his very existence.

Then, at a dinner party, a work colleague brings a new 'friend', this is Alice (Rachel Weisz) and immediately Tom recognises her, only he does not remember any 'Alice'. Thus begins a night of revelations and stories at odds with normally acquired experiences. It is the story of one person who has escaped through reinvention and one who craves escape but is shackled by convention.

This is an indie type film but has a high quality production and with the cast it boasts is not short on good performances. The real strength here is the story itself and so that makes this one of those films where one viewing may be enough. That said it is still more than worth seeing even if it is just that once.

After reading so many somewhat negative reviews I hesitated even watching this film - but then, it's actually a wonderful movie. Great actors and great script too. I guess what so many people don't like is that it's not a 'plot movie' - there's none of this 'overcoming obstacles' and stuff - I for one am glad! It's slow and thoughtful. Highly recommended!

"Complete Unknown" (2016 release; 92 min.) brings the story of Alice (played by Rachel Weisz). In the pre-credit opening montage, we see her in a number of completely different settings (emergency room nurse, magician's assistant, pianist, etc.) Who is this person? After the opening credits, we get to know Alice, now a biologist in New York. She takes an interest in a guy at the cafeteria, and it's not long before they befriend. One evening they go to a dinner party to celebrate the birthday of her friend's co-worker (played by Michael Shannon). Shockingly, the co-worker recognizes from a prior life, 15 years ago, and confronts her. Why did she vanish without a trace all those years ago? Why did she come back? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from writer-director Josh Marston. Here he tackles a potentially intriguing promise: a woman seemingly drops off the face of the earth 15 years ago, and then returns, all the while spinning tales (are they true? or made up?) about her exploits in Australia, China, Mexico, and so on. The first half hour of the movie is the best, as at that point we are barely understanding what is going on, keeping us hungry to understand the full picture (is Alice battling multiple-personalities disorder? is she a con-artist? a femme fatale? delusional? all of those?). As that full picture emerges, regrettably (but perhaps unavoidably) the mystery is lifted and the movie loses some of its appeal (but not interest). Rachel Weisz absolutely shines in the lead role, and to see her in all these different settings is a true delight. Michael Shannon at times seems to struggle to keep up with Weisz on the screen. Kathy Bates and Danny Glover play an elder couple (one long scene, maybe 10 min. of screen time). The movie flew by in no time, but I also have to be honest: the ending baffled me, and not in the best way. Last but not least, there is a wonderful score, courtesy of Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurrians.

The movie premiered at the Sundance festival earlier this year and was snapped up by Amazon Studios, yes, this is yet another movie release from Amazon, The movie finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and I couldn't wait to see it. The early Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended nicely, but by no means anywhere near a sell-out. If you are interested in a character and relationship drama that seems it could go in many different directions, and stars the lovely and talented Rachel Weisz, I'd suggest you check out "Complete Unknown", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on VDV/Blu-ray, and give it a try.

Completely implausible. A waste of at least 5 excellent actors. "Catch me if you can" for the feminists. At least Kathy Bates got to rest on the horizontal for ten minutes. I guess the director needed to fill some time because it's a rule that movies can't be less than 90 minutes.