You Were Never Really Here

The 2017 Anglo-American-French neo-noir psychological thriller, directed by Lynne Ramsay and based on Jonathan Ames's novella, follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a war veteran and former FBI agent suffering from PTSD and childhood trauma, who earns a living rescuing abducted girls from sex trafficking rings. Living in New York and caring for his elderly mother (Judith Roberts), Joe is hired by Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette) to find and return his missing daughter, Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov). Infiltrating a brothel catering to powerful clients, Joe violently eliminates the guards and rescues Nina, but soon learns of Votto's apparent suicide and faces corrupt police officers who abduct Nina. After his mother's murder and uncovering a conspiracy involving Governor Williams (Alessandro Nivola), Joe, overwhelmed by despair, attempts suicide but is revived by a vision of Nina. He discovers that Nina has independently dealt with Williams, and together they leave the crime scene, finding solace in each other's company. The film was acclaimed for its dark atmosphere, minimalist style, and deep psychological character study, earning awards at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Screenplay and Best Actor.