The Unknown Woman
2006 · Movie · R · 118 min · ★ 7.2 · 62% critics
A woman from Eastern Europe arrives in Italy seeking work and quietly pushes her way into a wealthy household as a nanny to a young girl. As she earns trust, unsettling hints about her past and her true reasons for being there surface, turning a fresh start into a tense, emotionally heavy journey.
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Details
- Original title
- La sconosciuta
- Years
- 2006
- Release date
- 2006-10-09
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 62/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (373 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a dark, suspenseful mystery that mixes family emotion with a troubled past, in the vein of I’m Not Scared or The Name of the Rose; Not for you if you dislike disturbing themes or slow-burn ambiguity.
Pros: gripping mystery; strong emotional pull; tense atmosphere | Cons: complex, confusing plot; uneven tone shifts; late answers feel rushed
Themes
- prostitute
- cleaning lady
- italy
- suppressed past
Awards & recognition
- David di Donatello — Best Director · 2007
- David di Donatello — Best Film · 2007
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award — Best European Film · 2007
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 2008 · nominated
- David di Donatello — Best Director · 2007 · nominated
Show all 9 awards →
- European Film Award — Best Actress · 2007 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Director · 2007 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Cinematographer · 2007 · nominated
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award — Best European Film · 2007 · nominated
Cast & crew
Kseniya Rappoport
as Irena
Michele Placido
as Muffa
Claudia Gerini
as Valeria Adacher
Pierfrancesco Favino
as Donato Adacher
- CD
Clara Dossena
as Tea Adacher
Alessandro Haber
as Matteo
Piera Degli Esposti
as Gina
Pino Calabrese
as GIP
Ángela Molina
as Lucrezia
Paolo Elmo
as Nello
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore