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Under the Skin

Under the Skin

Movie
Director(s): 
Genre: 
In Theatres: 
Apr 18, 2014
Grade:
A-
Running Time: 
108 minutes

Sci-fi films are often explosive, in-your-face windows to imagination that allow audiences to peer into what the future of technology may look like, but sometimes the most thought-provoking films are also the most subtle. Such is the case with Under the Skin, a film about an alien disguised as a human who seduces men to their untimely deaths, but in the process discovers what it means to be human. At least, that’s what I believe.

Under the Skin is very subtle in its storytelling approach. Director Jonathan Glazer doesn’t hold your hand throughout, but instead guides audiences with a trail of breadcrumbs as the story unfolds. Scarlett Johansson plays the alien in the film, traveling the roads of Scotland picking up men and luring them to a trap where she can harvest their bodily fluids for what we assume is their form of nourishment. Initially there is a bit of confusion as you wonder what is going on, but as Johansson continues to seduce men with the promise of sex, the bigger picture becomes clearer. With each new victim, a bigger piece of the puzzle is revealed.

Dialogue is kept to a minimum as Under the Skin relies more on facial expressions and its somber tone to express itself. The film’s fantastic use of light and shadows creates this dark and futuristic atmosphere that brings out the science fiction. The pitch black room of the alien’s base of operations stands out among Johansson’s and her victim’s bodies as he is slowly enveloped by the paralyzing liquid. It doesn’t matter how the liquid works or why she can stand on top of it while he sinks. All you really need to know is that once someone ventures into that room, they aren’t coming back out.

As the film progresses, the alien begins to actually understand humanity and develops a relationship with a man who doesn’t try to take advantage of her and only wants to help. She becomes conscience of her human shell and is curious about the species that she has grown to hunt. Without saying much, Johansson is able to convey quite the range of emotions only through her body language. It’s like you’re a part of her mind as she processes everything around her for the first time.

Under the Skin takes a very laidback approach to the sci-fi genre and delivers a sometimes disturbing yet wonderful story. It’s a little confusing at first, but by the end of the film you simply can’t look away.

Matt Rodriguez
Review by Matt Rodriguez
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