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The Unknown Girl isn't quite up to the standards of the Dardenne brothers' best work, but remains a well-acted effort that pays poignant -- albeit limited -- dividends. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Jenny, a talented doctor, refuses to open the door of her practice to a mysterious late-night caller. The next morning, she learns that the caller was a girl who has been found dead, and the police have no way of identifying her. Shocked and guilt-stricken by the news, Jenny resolves to discover the name of the girl so she will not be buried anonymously and to ensure she doesn't disappear as if she had never lived.

Cast & Crew

Adèle Haenel
Jenny Davin
Olivier Bonnaud
Julien
Jérémie Renier
Le père de Bryan
Louka Minnella
Bryan
Christelle Cornil
La mère de Bryan
Nadège Ouedraogo
La caissière du cybercafé
Olivier Gourmet
Le fils Lambert
Pierre Sumkay
Le père Lambert
Yves Larec
Le docteur Habran
Ben Hamidou
L'inspecteur Ben Mahmoud
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Director
Luc Dardenne
Director
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Screenwriter
Luc Dardenne
Screenwriter
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Producer
Luc Dardenne
Producer
Denis Freyd
Producer
Delphine Tomson
Executive Producer
Alain Marcoen
Cinematographer
Marie-Hélène Dozo
Film Editor
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News & Interviews for The Unknown Girl

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Critic Reviews for The Unknown Girl

All Critics (91) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (26)

  • The last thing one expected was for the Belgian Dardenne brothers to dote on a murder mystery, particularly one involving a medico turned amateur sleuth that's fraught with coincidence like so much of what's already out there.

    September 29, 2017 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

    Scott Marks

    San Diego Reader

  • The question that looms large here, lingering long after the closing credits, is whether, despite our human need for forgiveness, absolution is ever truly possible.

    September 28, 2017 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Michael O'Sullivan

    Washington Post

  • Jenny's search is a quest for atonement, not only for herself, but also for others. A physician of the body, she becomes a kind of physician of the soul, her clinic office a secular confessional, sealed by her ethic of doctor-patient confidentiality.

    September 22, 2017 | Rating: A | Full Review…

    Steven D. Greydanus

    National Catholic Register

  • [Adlle] Haenel's deadpan performance makes this a tough sell, leaving only the common mechanisms of a suspense plot to move the drama forward.

    September 21, 2017 | Full Review…

    J. R. Jones

    Chicago Reader

  • "The Unknown Girl" is an imperfect but absorbing addition to the canon, a carefully plotted thriller of conscience in which Jenny spends most of the movie patiently and persistently atoning for her mistake.

    September 14, 2017 | Full Review…

    Justin Chang

    Los Angeles Times

  • Every Dardennes movie is worth seeing, and The Unknown Girl has all kinds of gripping undercurrents.

    September 8, 2017 | Full Review…

    David Edelstein

    New York Magazine/Vulture
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Audience Reviews for The Unknown Girl

  • Dec 07, 2016
    The Dardennes offer us another engaging story shot in their usual naturalistic style to show us things that happen in the lives of common people, even though this time what happens seems a bit twistier than necessary and holds a lesser impact than their best works.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
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The Unknown Girl (La fille inconnue) Quotes

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