by Ken Parker
What could a film starring Scarlett
Johansson as a mysterious woman who picks up men who are then lured
into abandoned buildings for what they hope could be sex, have for
people to watch beside the obvious? Well, lots more if they like
strange movies. Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and David Cronenberg
are some of the filmmakers that the film, Under the Skin, has
been compared to in terms of style and mood. The film is not a
Species remake or clone. Not even close. The film goes to
the deep end of the strange pool but in a good way.
Spoilers
The film starts with a man on a
motorcycle picking up what appears to be a dead woman and bringing
her to an all white room. There, another woman (Johansson), takes
her clothes and heads out in a van, cruising the streets of Scotland,
picking up men. The men are charmed by the woman who convinces them
to enter a long hallway. Now completely under her spell, the men
take their clothes off as the woman backs down a now featureless
black room, enticing them to follow. They suddenly sink into a black
pool and the woman stops and heads on back out for more. This
happens a number of times but a few things happen that cause the
woman some trouble. The motorcycle man seems to be called in when
needed to clean up a mess (evidence) she leaves behind.
The woman seems almost robotic and one
minded as Johansson is able to turn on and off the charm in luring
the men. The woman begins to notice more and more things around her.
She strays from her 'mission' and goes off the grid. The motorcycle
man calls in some friends and they go looking for her. The woman
encounters a man and for the first time seems to fall for him or at
least decides to have sex with him. Things don't go so well and she
runs off into the woods only to run into some more trouble.
This film is strange. Very strange.
There is very little dialog. The imagery is fantastic and unsettling,
especially when we get a glimpse at what is under the black pool.
The music and sounds add to this oddness. The film originally
reminded me of Liquid Sky (1982) which was strange in its own
right and has sex as a primary plot device as well as aliens. Under
the Skin had that similar vibe, the feel of it reminded me of
those various midnight movies during my college years. The Man
Who Fell to Earth is another example of this type of film.
The film does little in giving you
answers to what is going on but the reveal at the end, that the woman
is indeed some kind of alien or robotic being is not a big surprise.
What we don't really know is why are the men lured into this black
pool and what are those motorcycle men. I would expect that this is
not a film that has a sequel to answer this. This is meant to be a
voyeuristic look into something very strange. The film often just
watches what is going on with long, music-less scenes. In reality,
many of the scenes involving Johansson in the van, were recorded with
hidden cameras just to set the atmosphere and give viewers the feel
of realism. The film feels foreign for sure in its tone and pacing,
and again, this is good.
Lack of answers does not detract from
what this film does. It seems to be sexy at first with the woman
really chatting up the men in a very realistic manner. The settings
and interaction are candid but the unsettling images and manner in
which Johansson acts is an incredible contrast which film maker
Jonathan Glazer has in common with David Lynch and Cronenberg.
The film stays with you for a while,
for good or bad and it is a film that I may want to see again soon,
possibly to try to figure out what is going on, which I expect to be
futile. Under the Skin does not have the scope of 2001: A
Space Odyssey nor the humor in films by Lynch and Cronenberg and
it may not even be a commentary on society with men and women but it
is certainly interesting and surreal.
People who want answers should stay
clear. We don't see what the purpose of the 'aliens' is and that is
not the point of the film. If you love strange and want to
experience something unusual then seek it out on Demand, DVD or
Blu-ray as it is now available.
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