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Unknown

Unknown

"Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles: infected minds to their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets." - William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V Sc I

200599 minNot RatedMidcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Director
Nick Thompson
Starring
Bryan Beck, Renee Rogers, Jennifer Ureste, Anthony Dengler

Nathan Holmes and his girlfriend Ashlee have the perfect life together - a storybook romance - but Nathan is a man possessed by intense and disturbing dreams. His psychiatrist, Dr. Cameron Graye, doesn't seem to be helping, and neither are Nathan's parents, who seem to be holding something back. As Nathan delves deeper into the unknown, he begins distancing himself from everyone, and as life continues to spiral out of control, the line between dreams and reality blurs and not even Nathan knows when he's awake or when he's dreaming.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Unknown?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Unknown to rent or buy on Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Unknown?

Unknown earns 1 badge: Thought-provoking.

Reception

Is Unknown worth watching?

Unknown's Midcredits score is the 38th percentile of all films, from 87 ratings across 3 sources (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 45% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

38th percentile

Better received than 38% of films

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

35th percentile among Drama37th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)32nd
Approval (how many liked it)45th

56 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

32nd percentile of all films

29th percentile among Drama32nd percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

45% liked it

45th percentile of all films

42nd percentile among Drama42nd percentile among 2000s
45% rated it 7–1055% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

28th percentile

87 ratings across platforms

29th percentile among Drama21st percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 57% in 30 days

Watch experience

What is Unknown like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Food for thought: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you can give it your full attention, and you want something to think about afterwards.

It leaves you thinking. Skip it when you can only half-watch or you want every question answered.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Food for thought.

Moods
DreadContemplative
Heaviest: late
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Dreamlike · 2% of films: Logic gives way to atmosphere and association.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film takes its material seriously, treating the protagonist's psychological unraveling with gravity and a dreamlike detachment.
The rideThe synopsis builds dread as Nathan's reality fragments, with the heaviest stretch likely toward the end when the line between dreams and reality is most blurred.
StructureThe synopsis suggests a conventional unfolding narrative, though dream sequences may introduce nonlinearity.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

The answer rests on this: Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves the viewer questioning what is real and what is dream, with an unsettling ambiguity that lingers.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MysteryEnigma
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7% (this title): Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2% (this title)
  • No archetype 22%

Mystery: A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered. · Enigma: The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).

7% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe story is driven by the question of what is real, as the protagonist's grasp on reality blurs between dreams and waking life.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% (this title) · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsMemory · 3% of filmsTrauma · 7% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores Nathan's struggle to distinguish dreams from reality, interrogating his core identity and the role of hidden past experiences.
StanceThe film questions the nature of Nathan's identity and reality, focusing intimately on his psychological journey without offering clear answers.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanDomesticStylized realism
AmbientOrchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Robert Warnock
SettingAn unnamed suburban town where Nathan's storybook romance contrasts with his disturbing dreams.
MusicThe score likely enhances the dreamlike, brooding atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Unknown okay for kids?

Not Rated

Unknown is not rated.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Unknown have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Unknown?

Cast

Bryan Beck
as Nathan Holmes
Renee Rogers
as Ashlee Laughland
Jennifer Ureste
as Dr. Cameron Graye
Anthony Dengler
as Paul Adler
Josh Klemp
as Teenage Boy
Catherine Leipert
as Teenage Girl
Christopher T. Pantelis
as Teenage Boy
Beth Leipert
as Patricia Holmes
Steven Warren Hill
as Ken Holmes
Robert Warnock
as Priest

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Unknown?

Movies like Unknown include Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022), Secret Window (2004) and Deadly Illusions (2021). Of the 11 closest matches, most are psychological thrillers, and several are films about memory.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

All 11 share its story type: enigma. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Unknown?

5.8K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: psychological thriller. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.