Girl Unknown
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLa desconocida
Directed byPablo Maqueda
Screenplay by
  • Pablo Maqueda
  • Paco Bezerra
  • Haizea G. Viana
Based onGrooming
by Paco Bezerra
Starring
CinematographySantiago Racaj
Edited byMarta Velasco
Production
companies
  • Fórmula Cine AIE
  • Elamedia
Distributed byFilmax
Release dates
  • 17 March 2023 (2023-03-17) (Málaga)
  • 9 June 2023 (2023-06-09) (Spain)
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Girl Unknown (Spanish: La desconocida) is a 2023 Spanish thriller film directed by Pablo Maqueda which stars Laia Manzanares and Manolo Solo alongside Eva Llorach. It is an adaptation of Paco Bezerra's stage play Grooming.

Plot

The film unfolds a pendulum swinging power dynamic between the seemingly innocent Carolina, and a guy she meets in a park named Leo. What begins and is a case of grooming morphs into something far more complex due to Carolina not being all she seems.

Cast

Production

An adaptation of stage play Grooming by Paco Bezerra, the screenplay was penned by Pablo Maqueda, Paco Bezerra, and Haizea G. Viana.[2] The film was produced by Elamedia and Fórmula Cine AIE with support from ICAA, the Madrid regional administration, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Castilla–La Mancha's Fundación IMPULSA and ECAM, and participation of Telemadrid and CMM TV.[3] Filming locations included Madrid and Albacete.[3] Shooting lasted from October to November 2021.[3]

Release

The film was presented in the official selection of the 26th Málaga Film Festival on 17 March 2023.[4] Distributed by Filmax, it was released theatrically in Spain on 9 June 2023, with a later streaming release on Filmin set for 20 October 2023.[5][6]

Reception

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Girl Unknown has a 100% approval rating based on 5 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.50/10.[7]

Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía billed the film as the "most perverse" of Málaga's official selection, hailing Solo's performance as a sexual predator as his best ever.[8] Also reviewing for Cinemanía, Rubén Romero Santos rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, otherwise deeming it to constitute, together with Carlos Vermut's Manticore, a magnificent double feature on paederasty.[9]

Víctor A. Gómez of La Opinión de Málaga assessed that the film is "too much enamored of the purported psychological murkiness of its story and its protagonists", and it fails to meet the hype.[10]

Pablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising "its almost Mephistophelian formulation".[11]

Raquel Hernández Luján of HobbyConsolas rated the film with 58 points ('so so'), writing that it "has better intentions than final results", praising Solo and Manzanares while pointing out that the film "exposes its cards too soon and has plot holes".[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "La desconocida". Filmax. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ↑ McLennan, Callum (15 March 2023). "Director Pablo Maqueda Talks Malaga Buzz Title 'Girl, Unknown': 'I Like Stories that Navigate the Terror of Everyday Life". Variety.
  3. 1 2 3 Rivera, Alfonso. "Pablo Maqueda concluye el rodaje de su segundo film, La desconocida". Cineuropa.
  4. ↑ "'La desconocida' expone al espectador a su propia incomodidad con un relato sobre ciberacoso a menores". Málaga Hoy. Grupo Joly. 17 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Aller, María (22 February 2023). "Teaser tráiler de 'La desconocida', el nuevo e inquietante thriller de Manolo Solo y Laia Manzanares". Fotogramas.
  6. ↑ Sisí Sánchez, Alberto (25 September 2023). "Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Disney+, Movistar Plus+, Filmin: todos los estrenos imperdibles de octubre". Vogue.
  7. ↑ "La desconocida". RottenTomatoes. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Bermejo, Andrea G. (17 March 2023). "'La desconocida', broche perverso del Festival de Málaga que supone la consagración definitiva de Manolo Solo". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  9. ↑ Romero Santos, Rubén (7 June 2023). "'La desconocida': cine de inesperados giros de guion". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  10. ↑ Gómez, Víctor A. (17 March 2023). "Son engañosas las apariencias..." La Opinión de Málaga. Prensa Ibérica.
  11. ↑ Vázquez, Pablo (9 June 2023). "Crítica de 'La desconocida', la sorprendente película de Pablo Maqueda que no querrás que te cuenten". Fotogramas.
  12. ↑ Hernández Luján, Raquel (5 June 2023). "Crítica de La desconocida, un thriller visceral cuyo principal giro se destapa de forma prematura". HobbyConsolas.
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