Under the Skin, 2013.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer.
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan, Jessica Mance, Krystof Hádek, Scott Dymond, and Michael Moreland.
SYNOPSIS:
A mysterious woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. Events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.
Opening on an aligning of planetary activity, darkness shimmering against the beaming light of the intergalactic, it is evident from the very first frames that Under the Skin is unlike anything you’ve seen. As the planets align and then fade into the very darkness they first appeared, the camera moves slowly away to a screen of white, purposely taking its time to reveal the eye of our protagonist, in this case an alien being, who is seemingly in some sort of human “training” before being released onto the third rock from the sun.
As you can tell, this is no-compromise cinema from the outset, the sort that pushes boundaries both creatively and artistically to create a truly distinctive experience. Every inch of the film looks and feels stunning and surreal, yet new and exciting. We’ve had alien stories before, but very few like this, where humans are the “aliens” of the story: we are the ones who are misunderstood and dangerous, as Scarlett Johansson’s otherworldly alien finds out.
It took a long time (around a decade) for director Jonathan Glazer (Birth, Sexy Beast) to get the project to where it is today, and it’s perhaps due to that long gestation, similar to the one undertaken by Johansson’s character, that is reaches as high as it does: almost perfection.
Clearly not held down by any creative influence but his own, director Jonathan Glazer has spent hours/days/months measuring and moulding his strange, somewhat perplexing mystery thriller about an alien being sent to Earth to integrate and decimate. It’s hard not to be swept up in the film’s uniqueness, but many have had mixed feelings towards it. Indeed, walkouts were not uncommon during its cinema release back in March, with risk always coming hand-in-hand with originality. But the film does reward those who stick with it, and indeed revisit. In fact,many would perhaps benefit many with the luxury of home viewing, allowing for a different kind of immersion while not losing any of its power.
Johansson, fresh from stints in Marvel universe, has always struggled to find roles that truly measure up to her staggering talents. It’s not since Lost in Translation that Johansson has been as perfect and mesmeric as she is here, fully immersing herself in the underexposed shooting style on the grey streets of Glasgow. Rarely off screen, her quiet performance is reminiscent more of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator than Charlotte in Lost in Translation or Rebecca in Ghost World.
Rarely speaking throughout other than to flirt and scope out her victims carefully and precisely, before doing away with them, with her 9mm automatic and laser sighting more feminine than that of the Austrian Oak. It’s a staggering performance, one she may never quite equal again, despite the relative infancy of her career.
While it may have divided opinions across the globe (and you can certainly see why), one thing for sure is that Under The Skin is a remarkable feat of filmmaking. Glazer has had the privilege of making the film that he wants, with no compromise, interference nor fear. Without Johansson’s involvement, this may have been an even harder sell than in its current form, but you have to admire Glazer’s determination in making such a strange yet unmistakably distinct film.
The whole film feels like a strange fever dream with Kubrick and Lynch lining the walls, and dashes of Scott and Gilliam raining down upon us, thanks to the work of DoP Daniel Landin and the subtle yet scary score from Mica Levi. But with all those influences obvious, Under the Skin still feels fresh and unique, and will in time take its place amongst the classic works of those aforementioned geniuses. For now, Under the Skin is one of the years best, and certainly it’s most unique.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Scott Davis
Originally published July 14, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
