Unsane, the new stalker thriller from Steven Soderbergh is the latest film to be shot entirely on a mobile phone. This has, understandably, has been at the forefront of the buzz surrounding this movie, however it should not eclipse the fact that Soderbergh has delivered a thought-provoking and tense film. The film is released in the US on the 23rd of March, along with the UK release, and we complete our coverage of the film with an interview with two of the film’s stars.
Directed from a screenplay by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer, the film stars Claire Foy (The Crown), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Jay Pharoah (Ride Along), Juno Temple (Atonement), Aimee Mullins (Stranger Things) and Amy Irving (Traffic).
RELATED: An extended interview with Steven Soderbergh for Unsane, #MeToo and shooting on an iPhone.
James Kleinmann had the pleasure of sitting down with Jay Pharoah and Joshua Leonard to talk about the film. They talk about playing antagonists not as villains but as nuanced, whole characters. Leonard talks about the deep emotions of unrequited love, how it is a childish sort of affection and the problems this causes. Pharoah talks about his relationship with Sawyer (Claire Foy), and how they two of them worked together to convey the bonds of their friendship. There is also discussion of how the iPhone camera allowed Soderbergh to work with the naturalised elements of acting he favours.
Jay Pharoah & Joshua Leonard – Unsane Interview
Synopsis
Sawyer Valentini relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape from the man who’s been stalking her for the last two years. While consulting with a therapist, Valentini unwittingly signs in for a voluntary 24-hour commitment to the Highland Creek Behavioural Centre. Her stay at the facility soon gets extended when doctors and nurses begin to question her sanity. Sawyer now believes that one of the staffers is her stalker — and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive and fight her way out.
Unsane is released in cinemas across the US and the UK on March 23rd, and you can read our review from the Berlinale right here.
