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One of my all time favorites.

Just perfect...

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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.

Alice (Rachel Weisz) plays "The Great Imposter" as we get snippets of her life as an ER nurse and magician's assistant which teaches her some great bar tricks. She is on her ninth life as a botanist in order to meet up with Tom, (Michael Shannon) an old friend some 15 years ago. She makes a confession to him as he struggles to understand "Eat Pray Love." Amazon took a great idea, wonderful actors, and made it boring. The character of Rachel Weisz was exciting...as read and not seen. They didn't bother to really develop her character, the main feature of the film. We learned very little of her past relationship with Tom, other than she had one. They sucked any possible humor out of the film, yet never created a feel good drama.Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

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.

Plot and ScriptWhat if you could become a whole new person and often? Would you know who you are? Does our job define who we are? Or does one have to introspect often to figure out the reason fro their existence?These are some questions Complete Unknown tries to answer. Alice played by Rachel Weisz enters into Tom's (Michael Shannon) life by what seems like stalking but it is clarified that they were lovers – 15 years ago. Lovers who fell apart because Tom had a path in life to tread and Alice wanted no such thing.Alice took off without telling a soul leading her parents and Tom to think she was dead. She underwent complete transformations to become different people in different countries – biologist, nurse, magician's assistant and many more.But the lack of permanency is what brings her back to Tom whose definition of static is what is driving a wedge in his life and between him and his wife. What happens when Tom and Alice meet at his birthday party surrounded by his friends who think Alice is an enigma? Do they buy her tales of taking off or think she is a pathological liar?This is movie is a one-night tale and has a solid premise which unfortunately doesn't hold until the end.Characterization and Acting (C&A)Acting by Weisz and Shannon was very strong – we see both their points of view of who they think they are and self-imposed limitations. There are cameos by Kathy Bates and Danny Glover who are great but I don't know why they were important. Tom's friends were OK too but didn't really build into these characters. That's one reason where it fell short in this department – I didn't care enough for all the characters.Sounds and Effects (S&E)The background score was effective and the scenes which take you back to what Alice was at a given point in time were extremely 'tidy'.Cinematography and Visuals (C&V)I think this was one of the stronger aspects of the film. The movie looks great and the visuals are awesome in most settings.Direction and Overall (D &O)Amazon studios and Joshua Marston tried to make a great movie with an okay'ish script and that is what led this movie to not be great! There were many loopholes in the script and the story and characters never really develop fully.So here are my scores:Plot and Script (P&S)- 1.0Characterization and Acting (C&A) – 1.5Sounds and Effects (S&E) – 1.0Cinematography and Visuals (C&V) – 1.5Direction and Overall (D &O) – 1.0Overall Score – 6.0 out of 10One time watch but forgettable.