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Poster for The Unknown Woman

The Unknown Woman

2006 · 1h 58m · R Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore

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Overview

Irena, a Ukrainian woman, comes to Italy looking for a job as a maid. She does everything she can to become a beloved nanny for an adorable little girl, Thea. However, that is just the very beginning of her unknown journey.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
66%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Tornatore, best known for Cinema Paradiso, has meticulously crafted a story that's at times so raw it hurts to watch. Its action blends piercingly lit flashbacks and dream sequences with a gray, prosaic present in an unnamed Italian city.

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Rotten

The Unknown Woman falters when it falls into exploitation and fatal contrivance.

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Rotten

The film has major problems blending the strong social theme of exploitation and white slavery with Tornatore's noirish screenplay, full of holes and improbabilities.

Deborah Young, Variety
Rotten

Plays like a cross between Hitchcock and tabloid feminism, a mix that shouldn't work and doesn't.

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Fresh

A spellbinder with a lot of Hitchcock touches and an Ennio Morricone score to match.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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