Review: Arthur Harari's 'The Unknown' — A Hypnotic Body Swap Thriller with Art-House Ambitions
By
David Ehrlich
Master baker tier. Every paragraph earns its place on the tray.
Summary
Arthur Harari's film "The Unknown" is a hypnotic, Antonioni-inspired body swap thriller about a mysterious STD that causes people to swap bodies during sex. The film follows David, a lonely Parisian photographer, who transforms into Léa Seydoux's character after sleeping with her. The review praises the film's atmospheric style, deliberate ambiguity, and its ability to be interpreted in multiple ways, while noting its slow pacing and art-house sensibilities.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledAt its most basic level, Arthur Harari's 'The Unknown' is a mesmeric, Antonioni-flavored modern thriller about a sentient STD of unknown origin that makes people swap bodies with their partners during sexual intercourse.
The mechanics of how that works are deliberately opaque so as to further ensure this film can be read in an infinite number of semi-legible ways.
A hollowed and lonely Parisian photographer named David (Niels Schneider) goes to a rave, meets a mysterious woman (Léa Seydoux), and wakes up the next morning in her body.
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