Talk:The Unknown Woman

Untitled
I have a couple of questions about the plot - if anyone knows the answers, I think it would help to add them to the page.

1. What does Irina bury in the flowerpots? 2. What does she get the old housekeeper Gina to sign? I don't think Irina is stealing money from Gina (through cheques) because Irina doesn't need money. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Abigalem (talk • contribs) 18:15, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

What the hell?? How do you allow all the story to be told like that without any warning (story-spoiller)?? Who is ever going to watch the film for the 1st time after reading all this?? Can someone change this please? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.250.35.139 (talk) 19:11, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Preemptive elaboration of change to the introduction
I have altered the introduction from


 * [...]that explores the problem of human trafficking and violence against women.

to


 * [...]that depicts a woman alone in a foreign country, hunted by a horrible past, and in search of a lost daughter.

Being Swedish and, therefore, knowing that alterations of this kind often meet with resistance out of proportion, I will elaborate on my reasoning in advance and at greater length than I normally would have:

Firstly, the original version is potentially orginal research or synthesis: The first source does not bear it out; the second is a subscriber only article. Note that even if the claim is true, it still requires a solid reference. It may or may not be that this was the movie makers intentions, but it is not an interpretation of the main theme and intent which is obviously true from watching the movie. (And, indeed, it is not the interpretation that I would choose. Apart from the general outline of my change, I would tend towards a treatment of being-a-passive-victim vs. fighting-back, as can be seen e.g.  in the parallel and contrast between Irena and Thea---possibly, with an eye on the risk of losing perspective and commiting too great evils during that fight.  Other interpretations are likely to come from others.)

Secondly, both trafficking (at least in the "sex slavery" sense) and violence specifically against women exist mostly as political and ideological "scary monsters"---not as actual major problems. Wikipedia should not be used to extend the incorrect stereotypes of trafficking as a major problem and violence as a something done by men against women. (Note that I do not necessarily claim an intent from the original author---I am aware of both Hanlon's Razor and The Hostile Media Effect. These stereotypes, however, are largely based on an accumulation of small, misleading indications like the one here.)

For a plenitude of academic references on domestic violence being a 50--50 issue, see http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm (I am not aware of claims that women would be victims more often outside of the domestic area.)

More information on the actual scale of trafficking vs. the claimed scale is present on e.g. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/20/trafficking-numbers-women-exaggerated Notably, the extreme forms of violence and oppression depicted in the movie are very far from the typical reality even of those actually trafficked. Michael Eriksson (talk) 04:29, 14 September 2010 (UTC)