Under the Skin is a creepy film from beginning to end. Part of the reason for this is that, as a heterosexual male, it is easy to imagine yourself going pretty much anywhere with Scarlett Johansson. In this film you learn that it really is what's under the skin that counts.
In one way this film is heir to to the "they are among us" films of the 1950s. At some points I thought "Jodorowsky." But mostly I just wondered where the film was going. Ultimately it becomes a movie about someone pretending to be something they are not--and coming to identify with that something. She is an alien who starts to "go native."
Johansson drives around, picking up men--some wary, some eager, and taking them with her in her van. But over the span of the film she also seems to develop empathy with humans--an even more so with her own human form.
In one way this film is heir to to the "they are among us" films of the 1950s. At some points I thought "Jodorowsky." But mostly I just wondered where the film was going. Ultimately it becomes a movie about someone pretending to be something they are not--and coming to identify with that something. She is an alien who starts to "go native."
Johansson drives around, picking up men--some wary, some eager, and taking them with her in her van. But over the span of the film she also seems to develop empathy with humans--an even more so with her own human form.
Director Jonathan Glazer was at the wheel for the excellent, Sexy Beast. He also worked extensively with English bands Massive Attack and Radiohead. Remember the video for Karma Police? He did it.
He hasn't done a ton of feature films (this is his third). It is to be hoped he will be at the helm again--and soon. This is a unique and thoughtful film and it there are so few like it that make it to theaters. The special effects are minimal and effective showing you need not break the bank in Sci-Fi.
In fact, some of the "special effects" sequences in the film are what really bring home the creepiness of the movie. We barely meet the men and yet we can feel for them because of these parts of the film (trying very hard not to give too much away here).
The Jodorowsky reference relates to a couple of these segments but as soon as these end you are snapped back to a rather mundane reality--something almost neo-realist. The non-alien segments of the film could be something about working people of Scotland.
Another interesting thing about the movie is that the men lured into the van were allegedly not actors but were shot on hidden cameras and only told they were in a film afterward. It seems a risky way to make a movie--and reinforces the creepiness. Can you imagine if a director did this with the genders reversed?
These sort of creative takes on filmmaking are welcome even in films that do not succeed. Experimentation in how to make movies and what are movies are essential to move the art of filmmaking along. This film does it and succeeds in making a good and provocative film. Again, let's see more from Glazer, and soon.
He hasn't done a ton of feature films (this is his third). It is to be hoped he will be at the helm again--and soon. This is a unique and thoughtful film and it there are so few like it that make it to theaters. The special effects are minimal and effective showing you need not break the bank in Sci-Fi.
In fact, some of the "special effects" sequences in the film are what really bring home the creepiness of the movie. We barely meet the men and yet we can feel for them because of these parts of the film (trying very hard not to give too much away here).
The Jodorowsky reference relates to a couple of these segments but as soon as these end you are snapped back to a rather mundane reality--something almost neo-realist. The non-alien segments of the film could be something about working people of Scotland.
Another interesting thing about the movie is that the men lured into the van were allegedly not actors but were shot on hidden cameras and only told they were in a film afterward. It seems a risky way to make a movie--and reinforces the creepiness. Can you imagine if a director did this with the genders reversed?
These sort of creative takes on filmmaking are welcome even in films that do not succeed. Experimentation in how to make movies and what are movies are essential to move the art of filmmaking along. This film does it and succeeds in making a good and provocative film. Again, let's see more from Glazer, and soon.
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