Not for the faint of heart, Under the Skin is a film that tends to polarize viewer’s opinions. Some find it eerie, mysterious and grand, while others find it bleak, uneventful and unnecessarily slow paced.
I myself have been on both ends of the spectrum: I disliked it upon first watching, but when I gave it a second chance, after reading the novel it is based on, the film really unfolded its magic before me. Looking back, I think upon first viewing I was distracted and impatient, having the wrong mindset to savor it and didn’t manage to fully immerse into the film’s atmosphere.
Thanks to @drummond for suggesting it in the comments and reminding me of its dark, edgy beauty, that certainly merits being featured here.
Under the Skin (2014)
An unnamed female character – whose origin is unknown but suggested as somewhat sinister and foreign – roams the streets of Glasgow by herself, driving a van. Many of these late night drives are done through the city’s mostly empty streets and rugged neighborhoods. She doesn’t seem to have a clear destination, though. She also seems unfamiliar with her surroundings, detached and bewildered when facing every day situations. As the film advances, it becomes apparent that she is on the prowl, looking for one thing: single men with no family, walking alone, on their own, no strings attached; accompanied men or men with well-established living situations deter her interest. With a seductive and vulnerable façade, she approaches them and lures them into an invisible trap… But to what purpose?
This is the sort of film that has the ability to leave a lasting impression on your mind. The kind that you don’t remember so much because of the content, but because of a particular feeling that it triggered in you. It is one of those pieces of cinema that, more than being seen, it is made to be experienced.
That is not to say that the film lacks in visual quality. On the contrary, the cinematography is powerful and stylized, drawing attention to the strangeness and artificiality of events that we consider ordinary – a strangeness that becomes apparent once you analyze them close enough as to suspend your familiarity with them. The muted beauty of the Scottish landscapes might look drab and dreary to some, but it certainly adds an air of lonely mystery to the scenes.
One thing that is very interesting and unique about the way the film was made, was that director Jonathan Glazer had hidden cameras installed inside the van, in order to film people approaching and getting in it. Scarlett Johansson herself was in a camouflage of sorts from her usual Hollywood self, clad in a stiff faux fur coat and sporting an eighties’ style dark mane with blood red lips. Her speech sounds also somewhat artificial. All of this helped to obtain spontaneous footage of passerby’s reactions when approached by her. Therefore, the men appearing in the pick-up scenes are not actors, but local people who were unknowingly caught on camera and later agreed to be featured in the film. Learning about this one detail definitely made me appreciate the film more upon second viewing.
Under the Skin surprises with some shocking and disturbing scenes, but I will not spoil them since I believe that in this film mystery is crucial for it to be truly haunting, therefore the less you know about the story and how it will unfold, the more you will enjoy it and the bigger the payoff will be in the end.
I would recommend to those planning on giving it a chance to do so at a quiet time of the day, preferably at dusk or nighttime, when you know you are in no hurry and you won’t be disturbed or sidetracked by distractions. The film is not long, but it requires a bit of patience to watch. This is a film best enjoyed with dim lights and a good sound system, since the music in the film is an important component to achieve the full effect of the work. Also, I reckon it would be better to watch this film by yourself. Trust me, you will be rewarded!
PREVIOUS POSTS IN THIS SERIES:
Gentlemen Broncos ( Jared Hess, 2009)
La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)
---------------------