Under The Skin Review

Scrumptious Skin Scalping

                Jonathan Glazer’s new science-fiction flick Under the Skin, based on the Michel Faber novel of the same name, has finally graced movie theaters in the United States after premiering at the Telluride Film Festival. Music fans may know Glazer from his work with artists such as Massive Attack and Radiohead, while film enthusiasts may be familiar with his previous directorial outings on British crime film Sexy Beasts and the follow-up Birth. Whether you are familiar with Jonathan Glazer or not, Under the Skin is sure to be very divisive among viewers; new or old.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, one of cinema’s hottest commodities right now, the film follows a female alien’s journey on Earth as she continually preys on men in Scotland. Male victims to Johansson’s exploits begin to pile up as scenes intercut each other, weaving a narrative that feels quite disturbing. It’s like having a first-hand account of abduction, but you as the observer have no way of alerting the victim of the impending danger. Johansson herself describes it as “a lioness on the prowl, hunting.”

Eventually though, this lioness undergoes a change of heart and begins to show pity for the species she has been hunting. She also becomes more cognizant of her human body, one that she steals earlier in the film. After some soul searching, attempts are made at starting a relationship with a helpful male figure she meets on a train. This inevitably fails and the hunter goes out for some solitude in the Scottish country side. This vacation does not go as planned though when she has a physical encounter with a park ranger resulting in a revelation that allows the film to live up to its name.

The simple story arc of the hunter becoming the hunted really only lays the foundation for the film’s more prominent theme of isolation. The protagonist must deal with being in an unfamiliar world where relying on instinct is the only means of survival. We feel equally sympathetic and fearful throughout the journey culminating in a very polarizing experience. It’s like being awed by a spider slowly sucking the life out of another insect.

Subdued and minimalistic would be the adjectives I would use to describe everything about this film. Dialogue, which is few and far between, is replaced by various long takes that make the film seem a little longer than its 108 minute running time would suggest. In fact, the second half of the film slows down to crawl, offsetting any momentum presented in the first couple of acts. The slow pace does provide us though with a gaze-like effect that mirrors the idea of viewing the world from an outsider’s perspective.  When there is dialogue, it is usually nihilistic in nature reflecting everyday chit-chat. It has to be noted though that Scarlett Johansson’s accent is one of the worst attempts at sounding European I can think of in recent memory. I couldn’t even tell you which country she was trying to imitate, but lucky for her she is an alien, so I guess in the context of the narrative it makes sense.

Outside of her awful accent, Scarlett Johansson’s acting is phenomenal throughout. Her facial expressions portray a full spectrum of emotions without seeming campy. The mercurial actress reminds us of her otherworldly presence while still extracting a very “human” response from us. She seductively asks men for directions before leading them into her “chamber”. The eroticism only escalates from there as pitch black backgrounds landscape the male victim’s final moments of freedom. It is the sexiest alien abduction you will ever see.

Lighting, another minimalistic aspect of the film, is only present when necessary. There is a very distracting JJ Abrams-esque lens flare in one scene, but other than that the film is pretty dark and gritty throughout. The lighting coupled with the slow pace of the film does create a very sleepy effect, which is in no way helped by the soundtrack. Distortion and the constant plucking of violin strings has the desired alien feel to it, but it is not at all pleasing to listen to; especially when there is no true variation throughout. It’s like being forced to listen to some new wave band your hip friend swears is cool.

Snow falls onto the camera lens as Jonathan Glazer ends the film on a very somber note. We are left both sympathetic and relieved at the story’s conclusion. Some plot holes do remain, such as the role of the motorcycle riding male alien, but they do little to detract from the impact of the ending. Some will leave the theaters deeply moved by what was presented. Others, such as myself, will only feel the effects skin deep.