Bele Torso This is not a movie for an American audience in general, it just isn't. It is a move for adults. It is mature and sophisticated. That means no CGI or action with guns to solve problems. We just lost 70% of the American audience. This is not for younger people. When we say "art" movie or some other genre, what does that mean?This is a movie about relationships and the complexity of life. Are you telling me people cannot relate to their split sides? Everyone has a fragmented self. Movies like can illuminate, but I think those who are shallow and in denial cannot see what is right in front of them. If you saw this in a theater, you were probably with someone. Who wants to walk out of the theater and say, "Wow...I have a lot of Alice in me!" No...we want to hide our shame, not reveal it. If you watch this movie alone, it impacts differently. So yeah...it is slow and boring to many, but this is an adult movie with intelligence and great acting. There are so many subtle nuances to these characters. This requires attention and focus. You can't watch this with kids playing or phones ringing...FOCUS folks...this is worth it, unless you never want to look at self.

Reno Rangan No doubt this was wrongly labelled as an average film. The title, the story, the performances, all stood to my expectation. I jumped into it prepared for another boring film. Indeed, it was a slow narration, at least in the initial parts. That twist in the early mid sect unleashed the bright side of the tale. Not knowing what to expect, I thoroughly got entertained for the rest of the film.It all was a day event. In fact, most of the story happened on one night. Though for a brief moment in the opening, they have shown us events from the different timelines. Just to convince us. Alice, who befriended a man while in the lunch, decides to attend a birthday party of his friend with him. But that night the things change as some secrets about her was revealed. Then event takes a different path with different adventure revealing more about about her.Yeah, everybody saying they saw it for Shannon, but for me, Rachel Weisz the reason the film looked so good. It is one of the underrated film of the year. It was unique. Probably less familiarity compared to any film. So not easy to predict the story. The suspense made me so curious and kept my eyes wide open till the end. I would like to see the other side of the story, probably in another film/part/sequel. Seems that's a very interesting aspect. Don't consider what the film critics say, it's definitely worth a watch.7/10

lavatch The producers of "Complete Unknown" may have envisaged a profound existential drama about human identity. But unwittingly, the film lapses into comedy with the preposterous character played by Rachel Weisz.It is difficult to associate the main character with a single name because she is constantly changing it. She was originally known to Tom as "Jennie" (or Jennifer). But suddenly, she left home, leaving her parents in a state of shock that eventually led to the death of her father.While in Mexico, Jennie became "Consuela." She went to China and became a magician's assistant named "Mae." In South Africa, she became "Vanessa." Later, she became "Sasha." She was "Constance," who traveled along the Amazon in the rain forest with a group of botanists. She was "Paige," who worked in a hospital in anesthesia. She traveled to Tasmania where she became "Alice." Now, she returns to "surprise" her old friend Tom on his birthday.With the exception of Tom's wife Ramina, a talented jeweler with a promising future, the other characters in this film are not only weird, but are downright repellent. The oddest moment is when Tom leaves the bar with Alice without saying a word to Ramina. He then slavishly follows Alice around, playing along with making up false identities as doctors to assist an elderly woman who has sprained her ankle. He then asks to see her research area where the frogs croak, but he is not really interested in frogs. He wants only to see if Alice is even telling the truth.The film offers no clues as to how Alice could change her name on passports and drivers' licenses with so many different names. Alice is clearly a nut, and this is where the scenes and lines of dialogue often turn into comedy. In one defining moment in the film's prologue, Alice has returned to her family's home and waits for her mother to leave. There is nothing to suggest that she even wants to make contact with her mom. To put it mildly, Alice needs help. And so do audiences who have to suffer through her neurosis and so many name changes for an hour and a half.

lucasnochez Living in a world such as today's, its no wonder how some people might want to just decide to up and leave their lives; their loved ones and the world's that they know all so well. With the expansion of social media, the rapid decline of privacy and our world's natural ability to connect people almost effortlessly, picking up and taking off may seem like a suitable alternative. Yet, the newest film from Maria Full of Grace director Joshua Marston offers many promises about the idea of false identities, femme fatales and of course, the illusion and perception of strangers. Complete Unknown is a very dry, empty and almost didactic film about the essence of strangers, friends, family and oneself and the true meaning of self and the people we think we know and surround ourselves with everyday. Even if we tried, giving away too much of the film is almost impossible, especially if you've already seen the trailer to this highly deceptive and promising feature. Unfortunately, the big reveal and climax of the film comes way too early in the film (which is also spoiled in the trailer) and the majority of the film is basically a reunion between two lost lovers who spend a birthday evening catching up. The birthday boy, Tom (Michael Shannon) is surprised when his good friend and business partner brings an unexpected guest date to his quaint birthday gathering in his lovely New York brownstone. When Tom's business partner Clyde (Michael Churns), brings Alice (Rachel Weisz) as his date to Tom's birthday party, Clyde is under the impression that Alice is just a coincidental beauty who enjoys the food of their local business cafeteria and who he has made an uncanny connection with. Unknown to him at the time, Alice, whose name is really Jennifer, is a long-lost flame of Tom's. Jennifer, who, fifteen years ago, walked away on her loved ones and family, and pursued a life as a drifter and civilian of the world, decides, after he life abroad, that her story with Tom isn't quite finished. Assisting in hospitals as a nurse, becoming a test subject and entertaining for magicians, and studying a very rare type of frog in a nearby New York laboratory, Alice's passions, hobbies and professions add the to complete enigma that is Alice. cu5Early on, it is revealed to the audience as well as the guests of Tom's birthday party that Alice is a compulsive liar who is addicted to the idea of mis-identity and role playing. Her obsession of "living a thousand lives" becomes a very disturbing account of the many passions, desires and thoughts of countless people, who never really are able to live such fantasies out. Yet, as the film progresses and the dialogue builds, Alice's motives and decision for walking out on Tom becomes as clear a foggy day in London. Even when the reveal of Alice's true identity of Jenny is made clear, director and writer Marston spends very little effort explaining her pathologically disturbing behaviour to Tom, or the audience. In essence, Jenny's rationale is a complete unknown, even given her very short family background.Marston, who covered a very pressing social issue in Maria Full of Grace takes on a complete original work with fellow screenwriter Jualian Sheppard, that is anything but original, and takes too many cues from Mike Nichols' Closer; Natalie Portman's alias' name in the film; the theme of mis- identity and of course, a very powerful and iconic final scene in which our main protagonists are walking amongst many people on a street, being the only individual visible in a crowd of blurred faces.Complete Unknown is a film that really asks many questions, yet only deals with the questions Tom has for Jenny, and the many answers she keeps flipping around as the film progresses. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is quite actually, the casting. Shannon, who is a veteran actor, has a very powerful range of mournful facial expressions that speak volumes. While Weisz, who is nothing short of alluring, has a natural beauty that is quite forgiving, disarming yet also very engaging once opened up. Weisz and Shannon's chemistry is one of the few things that are hard to ignore in the film, yet, these two amazingly versatile and talented actors really can't save a film that could have played better as a short film.As Jenny's character reveals to Tom in the fourth act of the film, life allows you to be anyone you really want to be. All it takes is a complete unemotional detachment from the people you love most and some distance from the people who "think" that know you, and you can put yourself anywhere in the world and be anyone you want to be. Yet, with each and every very anti-climatic reveal, we become in engaged in the very distorted reality of Jenny's world, an almost intoxicating look at the ability to shape, mould and form yourself into anyone at all, yet no one really."There is this moment when you're a blank slate, it's like a high".Easily one of my favourite moments in the film comes in the form of the obligatory novice appearance of older and very wise actors making their way in the festival-indie cameos. This time around, Kathy Bates and Danny Glover play a couple who aren't struggling at all with their identities, rather, have shared so much of their lives together that their sentences are finished by one another; their emotions synced with each mannerism and nuanced character tick, that when Tom and Jenny are invited into their home through a chance encounter, Jenny's whole misleading philosophy becomes disproved.