May el-Toukhy’s ‘Woman Unknown’ explores sexual shame in post-war Copenhagen

The film ‘Woman Unknown’, directed by May el-Toukhy, explores themes of sexual shame and violence against women in post-Second World War Copenhagen. The story follows Marie, a maid and nanny, and is inspired by historical accounts of women in Nazi-occupied countries who faced public punishment for having sexual relations with German soldiers.

As the only female director in the Venice Film Festival’s main competition, el-Toukhy uses a psychodrama set in a rigid, haut-bourgeois environment to examine whether private lives should be subject to public judgment and real-world consequences.