Under The Skin | Jonathan Glazer | April 4, 2014
Under The Skin is a cinematic journey unlike any other you’ll embark on this year. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, it’s a more of an experience that the traditional plot-based film that we come to expect.
The simple summary is that Scarlett Johansson is an alien in Scotland who uses her allure as a beautiful female to lure in men as she drives around in her car. They then follow her into her “house” under the false pretense of sex, but what’s waiting for them isn’t quite what they’d expect. I won’t spoil what the result is, let’s just say it’s one of the many aspects of Under The Skin that you’ll have to wait and see. Even then, you’ll still have to use your imagination to figure out just what is happening.
We see her move along from prey to prey but something changes in her after she meets a deformed man (played by Adam Pearson, who really does suffer from a condition known as Neurofibromatosis). She starts to feel some sort of humanity, and begins to question her own place on earth. From there the second half of the film changes gears a bit, but the question remains the same for our heroine: What exactly does it mean to be human?
Glazer works his magic based on Walter Campbell’s script, which was adapted for the screen from Michael Faber’s novel of the same name. The visuals provided by cinematographer Daniel Landin as well as the haunting sounds of Mica Levi’s score combine to create a visceral visual and audio experience that are ever present in every breath of the film. Glazer doesn’t give it to us easy, he makes the audience work for their answers. Nothing is told to us, just shown. We are left to our own wits to sort out what is happening and what the meaning behind it is.
The film moves at its own pace, often slow and brooding, something that may turn off some viewers. If you have the patience to let it all unfold, you’re more than likely to be fully submerged in the atmosphere of the film, left totally entranced. In early scenes you see all kinds of men come up to Johansson. In fact, Johansson’s interactions were mostly real people filmed with hidden cameras. This aspect gave it an interesting feel that was ultimately very real. You see the men’s genuine reactions to a confident female on the prowl. It’s one of the many commentaries on female sexuality and gender roles that the film tackles. The casting of a well known star as beautiful as Johansson in the role is no mistake.
There are many breathtaking sequences, large in part to the investigating, haunted score from Levi. If the soundtrack doesn’t give you goosebumps, then the way it enhances the genuinely creepy and surprising scenes that it soundtracks certainly will. Glazer is a very talented director, creating a film that asks many questions, while also providing an incredible visual journey. Johansson is great in a role that is unlike any other for her. She’s totally up for the task and gives a very intimate and interesting performance that will stay with you.
For the most part I appreciated Glazer’s work here. There are many stunning moments to be found. With that said, there were also some scenes that didn’t quite work as well, often a tedious experiment. You really need some patience and tolerance when watching Under The Skin, that’s for sure. Buried beneath all the visuals, Glazer clearly has something to say, it’s just a matter of figuring out exactly what that is.
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