Steven Soderbergh's 'Unsane' an unsurprising, but unnerving thriller

“Unsane” - ★ ★ ★

Most of us probably have seen a movie about “normal” people mistakenly or maliciously committed to mental institutions against their will.

But not quite like this one.

First, “Unsane” has the most ominous clock faces glaring at us since the classic western “High Noon.”

Second, we can't always be sure whether Claire Foy's Sawyer Valentini (which admittedly sounds like a libation at Hooters) has fallen victim to unscrupulous medical capitalists or might actually need some psychological help.

The third element that sets Steven Soderbergh's “Unsane” apart from other low-budget thrillers: the high-contrast, distorted wide-angle cinematography and almost-square aspect ratio of the frame, created by shooting the movie on an iPhone 7 Plus.

This gives the film a bold, disorienting texture reminding us that what unfolds on-screen may not be real.

Then again, it may be.

Foy's Sawyer has spent the last two years being chased by a relentless stalker.

She thinks every bearded man she meets might be him. Her growing paranoia forces her to seek counseling from a mental health care professional who encourages her to visit a clinic for a checkup.

After signing “the usual papers” for an appointment, she unwittingly steps into a giant Roach Motel, the kind where you check in, but not out. Her 24-hour observation quickly turns into a week.

Panicked, she calls the cops. But they get calls from patients screaming “I'm being held against my will!” all the time. Plus, the Highland Creek Behavioral Center has signed papers giving staffers permission to keep her for as long as they say she needs to be there.

Why? Because, explains fellow patient Nate Hoffman (Jay Pharoah), the patients stay until they're cured, usually when their insurance stops.

Meanwhile, Sawyer tussles with the aggressive, tightly braided Violet (Juno Temple) and the inept, wannabe rapist Jacob (Raul Castillo).

It's only a matter of time before Sawyer freaks out when she sees a new staff member: David Strine, her stalker!

Wait! He's only George (Joshua Leonard), who sports a beard. It's him, Sawyer says.

This boilerplate thriller will never be mistaken for a minor Alfred Hitchcock project, but Soderbergh joyously knocks out this cheesy quickie, co-starring Amy Irving as a protective mother hen intent on springing her offspring from this cuckoo's nest.

Foy, in her first U.S. movie since her breakout role in “The Crown,” translates vulnerability into warrior mode just in time for a rough confrontation in a padded cell.

If nothing else, “Unsane” should serve as a cautionary tale about the risks of signing contracts without reading the not-so-fine print first.

<b>Starring:</b> Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Amy Irving, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins

<b>Directed by:</b> Steven Soderbergh

<b>Other:</b> A Bleeker Street release. Rated R for drug use, language, sexual references, violence. 97 minutes