Under the Skin
Welcome to Movie Night with Brandon, which is basically my excuse to discuss and review any film I feel like. Whether it's a brand new film or an older one, it's whatever I feel like doing. In this series, I won't be giving grades because I don't feel that they're necessary for this particular series. With all that out of the way, let's talk about some movies.
Where do I even begin with a film like Under the Skin? I should probably start off by saying this is an art house film. For all you general audience members out there you may not have the best experience watching this film. You will be left with a lot of un answered questions and you might be a little confused by the end. Although I think you all should give it a shot and try the film out for yourself, go in knowing this is about as art house as it gets.It is hard to talk about this film without going into spoilers, and there will be very basic spoilers in this review but I will stay away from many plot points for .
Under the Skin is about Scarlett Johansson's character, billed only as "The Female", hunting for lonely men in the night. Not much is known at the offset about her character but all we can understand is that she is not human. This is one of the interesting notes about the film is they had hidden cameras in the van that Johansson drives in the film and a lot of the men she encounters are not paid actors. This is one of the many way that Johansson delves deep into her character. She has become a very successful and recognizable actress over the years, mainly for her work as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But whenever I watch this film I don't see any of her other characters she is more well known for, I see simply "The Female". She is completely flawless in this film and genuinely Oscar worthy. The rest of the cast is composed of mostly unknown actors or Scotland locals. All the other actors felt like real people. While they aren't technically stealing the show, they absolutely do the job well.
The story this film tells is one of variation. On one hand you watch this film as a straight up thriller with tons of creepiness, but there also a great deal going on under the surface. It is a very convincing horror movie with the genius of art house cinema. This is because of the brilliant direction from Jonathan Glazer. He crafts a emotionally gripping story that takes you from fear, empathy, and wonderment. Another thing I have to mention is the films score, because it's one of the most inventive and fitting scores I've ever heard. The music of the film alone is enough to give you an insurmountable amount of chills. The cinematography is also spot on, showing off either beautiful landscape, or eerie close ups. The overall camera work shows off amazing visual story telling while not over blowing the screen. The special effects of the film work wonders as well lending to the films other worldly story. The opening of the film leaves my jaw on the floor, pondering how they could've managed the shots.
The first time I saw this film was about four months ago and I've now seen it five times, once today for the purposes for this review. Every time I watch this film I feel a greater appreciation for art of cinema and the impact that pictures can leave. The films pacing is very slow moving and some people can find that a very negative aspect of the film. I find the pace very enthralling as an audience member. It takes it's time and builds the film to a haunting finale that left me speechless.
If you have made it to the end of this review and you have not seen Under the Skin, I implore you to seek it out. While I do understand how off-putting this film can be to impatient audiences, film lovers will in pure ecstasy through the entirety of the run time. It's a once in a lifetime picture that will be studied, analyzed, and admired for many years.
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