Year: 2016
Runtime: 91 min
Language: English
Director: Joshua Marston
At a dinner party, Tom meets the captivating Alice, and an unsettling connection sparks between them. Her abrupt departure leaves him intrigued and troubled, leading him on a complex search to uncover her secrets. As he delves deeper, Tom finds himself navigating a web of hidden identities and unsettling deceptions, blurring the lines between who he knows and who he thinks he knows.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Complete Unknown (2016), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
A woman navigates through a maze of varied lives, adopting different aliases in numerous cities. In the hustle and bustle of New York City, she orchestrates a chance meeting with Clyde at a local cafeteria, presenting herself as Alice, a biologist passionately studying frogs and recently back from an extensive project in Tasmania.
Meanwhile, Clyde’s friend, Tom, is busy prepping for a birthday celebration with his wife, Ramina, who aspires to be a jewelry designer. Alice expresses her desire to meet new friends, prompting Tom to invite her to the party. There, she captivates Ramina and other guests with fascinating stories about her life and expeditions in Tasmania. Upon returning home, Tom appears to recognize her and calls her “Jenny.” Ramina shares exciting news about being accepted into a renowned jewelry design fellowship in California, much to Tom’s surprise. During dinner, Alice recounts her impulsive choice to live in Mexico for a year, a revelation that prompts unsettling questions about her life decisions from fellow guests.
Later, Tom confronts Alice, who confesses that she is indeed Jenny, an old college girlfriend who vanished years ago. She reveals a life spent in a multitude of assumed identities, leaving each behind whenever she feels confined. Her visit to New York is rooted in a desire to reconnect with Tom, someone from her past.
The evening takes them to a nightclub, where Alice performs a magic trick for Tom, claiming she learned it during her stint as a magician’s assistant in China. This revelation raises suspicions among Tom and the others about the authenticity of her tales. After leaving the club, they encounter a woman named Nina walking her dog. When Nina injures her ankle, they lend a helping hand to escort her back to her apartment, where Alice claims to be a pediatric surgeon. At Roger’s suggestion, Tom examines Nina, at which point he starts to grasp the thrill that Alice experiences from living in disguise, but soon feels discomfort, leading them to depart.
Tom questions Alice about her honesty, to which she reassures him that she genuinely works with animals. She then takes him to Long Island for a glimpse of her work with frog hatchlings. Later, as Alice prepares to leave for yet another new identity, she invites Tom to join her, but he declines. Returning home, he engages in conversation with his wife about California.
In a poignant moment at a public restroom, Alice discards her credit cards, retaining only her driver’s license, which finds a place in a scrapbook filled with remnants of her former selves. With a newfound determination, she steps away into the throng of people, only to reemerge, donned in different attire, embodying her latest identity.
Last Updated: November 08, 2024 at 01:47
Still wondering what the ending of Complete Unknown (2016) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
At the end of A Complete Unknown, Bob Dylan’s performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival marks a pivotal moment in his career. By this point, he has transitioned from a relatively unknown folk singer into a groundbreaking artist willing to challenge conventions. When Dylan takes the stage with an electric guitar and a blues band, the audience’s reaction is mixed—many folk purists feel betrayed because he’s moving away from the acoustic sound they expected, and their boos reflect that frustration. Dylan’s brief set and his departure afterward symbolize his defiance of traditional expectations and his pursuit of artistic independence. Following this, the film shows Dylan visiting Woody Guthrie in the hospital, a poignant reminder of his roots and influences. The scene concludes with Dylan riding away on his motorcycle, echoing his real-life motorcycle accident in 1966, which further retreat him from the public eye. This mysterious escape signifies both a personal and artistic turning point, emphasizing that Dylan’s journey in the 1960s was marked by constant change and ambiguity. The film leaves Dylan’s future open-ended, hinting that his career will continue to evolve in unpredictable ways, while maintaining the air of mystery that surrounds him. Ultimately, the ending underscores Dylan’s legacy as a transformative figure, whose influence grew even as his personal story remained partially shrouded in mystery. The vagueness of the conclusion invites viewers to interpret Dylan’s motives and his true self, reinforcing the idea that Dylan, much like his music, is an enigmatic artist who can never be wholly understood. This deliberate openness mirrors the film’s title and the nature of Dylan’s myth—an “unknown” whose impact transcends specific stories or explanations.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:44
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