Seemingly determined to solidify his reputation as Hollywood’s preeminent disruptor, Steven Soderbergh’s latest venture sees the veteran director wage war on the bloated studio system in headline-grabbing fashion. Shot entirely on iPhones in under two weeks, Unsane is a slick, multiplex-friendly thriller delivered on a shoestring budget, which should serve as an inspiration to budding genre filmmakers all over the planet. But any fears that Soderbergh might be in danger of turning into a tedious Apple evangelist are swiftly allayed, with the film offering a playfully nightmarish riff on the dangers of modern technology. Claire Foy stars as a young woman who clearly conducts much of her life online, whose life becomes an outlandish nightmare when she’s committed against her will to a sinister psychiatric facility. It’s rough around the edges and wildly implausible, but Soderbergh’s prankish, pioneering spirit ensures a wild ride.
Unsane | Directed by Steven Soderbergh (US 2018) with Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard. Starts Mar 29
Check our OV search engine for showtimes