Review #1,048 - Under the Skin (2013)
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Review #1,048 |
THE SCOOP
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay
Plot: A mysterious seductress preys upon the population of Scotland.
Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi / Horror
Awards: Nom. for Golden Lion (Venice).
Runtime: 108min
Rating: R21 for graphic nudity, sexual content, some violence and language.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
I came out of Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi
horror experimental arthouse picture feeling
frustrated, but also haunted. It is a film that will, to loosely borrow the
film’s title, get under your skin.
Starring Scarlett Johansson as a mysterious thing in a woman’s body who
seduces men to their doom, Under the Skin works as a sci-fi allegory on human existence, the need to seek
companionship and the desire for lust.
Johansson’s performance is icy cold, almost
expressionless like a female cyborg, which somehow works in this dark work of
art by a filmmaker who reportedly took ten years to envision (or revise) his
very loose adaptation of Michael Faber’s 2000 novel of the same name.
Faber's novel reveals much more of the
universe of its story than Glazer's film, but that doesn't mean the latter is
incomplete. The film is rather a slice
of existence of Johansson's character (let's call 'her' A) who finds herself in
a scenic environment populated by honest, hardworking men and partying
women.
The setting is Scotland and conversations
are heavily accented. Stripping the film
to its bare bones, Under the Skin is compellingly beautiful with vast landscape
shots, many of which are shot just after it had rained. Interior scenes, however, can be dimly-lit,
such as in the van that A uses to seduce men.
Thus, I must say it is tonally a very interesting work, matched consistently by its strange but bold sound design.
Using a myriad of raw, jarring sounds that
give the film its unsettling atmosphere, Under the Skin feels akin to having a
giant insect crawl over you. It is the
sound of dreadful consciousness. There
is little dialogue, and the film is sparse in plot, so if you are looking for a
narrative to hook you, go look for another film.
Glazer's work is frustrating in this regard,
not because it doesn't provide answers (it shouldn't), but that its
experimental, directionless nature can leave one feeling momentarily
empty. Don't get me wrong – this is a film that you won't forget
easily, but the experience of seeing it merits more engagement.
For those daring enough to try, Under the
Skin will reward you with images and thoughts picturesque, stark, and
grotesque. For others, it pays not to be
curious, yes, even just to see Johansson completely nude.
Verdict:
A sci-fi horror experimental arthouse picture that is both compelling
and frustrating, often at the same time.
GRADE: C+
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