Under the Skin

Directed by Jonathan Glazer.

2014. Rated R, 108 minutes.

Cast:

Scarlett Johansson

Jeremy McWilliams

Adam Pearson

Joe Szula

Krystof Hadek

Paul Brannigan

Danny McCaskill

So there's this woman from another planet. Ironically enough, since she's played by Scarlett Johansson, seems to share a characteristic with a black widow. Sort of. She rides around town picking up random men, luring them back to her den of I don't know what. Once there, she starts peeling off her clothes while backing away from them. You know us guys. we can't get naked fast enough while in lustful pursuit. Unfortunately for them, these dudes never catch her. Instead, they find themselves uncontrollably walking into a pool of murky liquid, murky meaning jet black, until they are fully submerged and eventually destroyed. Once that happens, she's off looking for the next sucker. Plot-wise, that's all there is. The only other thing to note is that there is a motorcycle guy who seems to be her helper, or handler, or something. Since the two never actually speak, it's not quite clear.

Not quite clear is an accurate description of the literal happenings of Under the Skin. we can follow the events easily, but rhyme and reason eludes straightforward readings. Out loud wonderings of just what the hell is going on might be oft-prompted. This isn't a movie that reveals itself willingly. In other words, I can see lots of people dismissing it as artsy-fartsy nonsense. These people would have a  valid point as it doesn't fit narrow preconceptions of what movies should be. However, what's wonderful about it will be lost on them. They will have become that student in Enter the Dragon, not at all seeing what was being shown to him by the great Bruce Lee pointing toward the moon. They will have concentrated on the finger and missed all the heavenly glory.

By now, you're probably wondering what I'm babbling about, especially if you haven't seen this movie. My point is that this is a movie steeped in metaphor and open to multiple interpretations. My initial reading is that this is an examination of the way men view and treat women who are highly sexual beings. This is evident in the fates of the men she seduces. She literally destroys them. It has long been held that promiscuous women are somehow evil in comparison to their "studly" male counterparts. Men who have not even been involved with a woman they suspect of such behavior often see them as jaded objects, only good for one thing. They may even approach these women in a way enforcing that belief and/or try to use sex as a weapon within the power struggle between genders. There is even the question of how much a woman's (or anyone's, for that matter) self worth is linked to their genitalia. All of this, of course, leads to the film's finale. Without spoiling it, hopefully, I'll say that it involves a man's attempt at an act that often strips the humanity from its victims. In this case, that becomes a literal occurrence. Because of the stark visuals involved with this scene, there is also a subtle hint at how racism might also come into play.

To keep all of this a downright mesmerizing experience is a perfect blend of tone and performance. Tonally, UtS has a dreamlike quality. It's all rather surreal and sparsely populated. Dialogue is also kept to a minimum. Conversations are mostly short, all simple, quiet, and effective. There are also long stretches where nothing is said at all. We merely watch people act and react. In lots of movies, this would be utterly boring. Here, it works marvelously. A lot of it, most everything I've mentioned to this point, is due to the work of director Jonathan Glazer and his team on the technical side of things. However, tons of credit should also be given to our star, Johansson. She takes what could have been a big, showy role that found her impersonating Mae West's grand gestures and innuendos or Sharon Stone's hyper-sexuality, and she purposely and perfectly undersells it. Part of her appeal as an actress is that she's a gorgeous woman. As talented as she is, there's just no way around it. However, she never flaunts her looks. She addresses the men she comes across in a totally natural manner that plays to their egos, general wants, and desires, not her anatomy. It's a performance likely too understated to be fully appreciated by award-giving bodies, yet playing it any other way might have made things cartoonish and rendered the movie a failure.

UtS manages the impossible. It's a woozy affair that seems to meander along with little purpose other than being odd. While doing so, it somehow draws us to the edge of our seats and keeps us suspended there as we wonder where all of this is going. When it gets there, we have to take a deep breath and contemplate what we just saw. If we're unable to make heads or tails of it, we might be extremely disappointed with the film, quickly dismissing it for not making much sense. If we can, we'll love it for both its simultaneous simplicity and complexity. We will have a movie that we can approach and debate from a number of different angles. At least, that's why I love it.