Tuesday, December 16, 2014

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.

14 comments:

  1. Great review! I love this one too. A "downright mesmerising experience", well said. Glazer's flick should be making my top 10 list of 2014.

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    1. Couldn't really describe it any other way. Yes, it's a strong contender for my best of this year.

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  2. Such an unusual movie, which I enjoyed. I like your interpretation of the ending. While the book is quite different with its dialogue scenes and social commentary about the cruelty of the meat industry, I think the film managed to be something different with its ambiguity, lack of dialogue, atmosphere, visuals, strong performance by SJ, scene with the the deformed man, and of course the soundtrack. So I’m happy I’ve experienced both!

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    1. Thanks. It's definitely an unusual movie. The best part about the ending is that it is open to interpretation. Having never read the book, this movie is so minimalist in execution that it's hard to imagine a novel as the source material. From your description it does sound very different.

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  3. Great review! Having read the book prior to the film, I didn't enjoy it as much .They left out the most interesting parts. I wish I could've liked it more.

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    1. Interesting. There was so little that actually took place, I imagine lots of it didn't make it to the screen.

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  4. I loved this movie. The whole Lynchian surrealist approach really made it an interesting experience. I liked how in the end the alien protagonist ended up being the most human character in the movie while all the humans she interacts with end up seeming alien but at the same time her mind is alien enough that we can't quite understand it.

    There's all those little scenes, like when she goes to a restaurant and orders cake as a main course, that allow you to see just how confused she is on Earth. In any other film scenes like that might have been used to comedic effect (as in E.T., Starman, and to a lesser extant The Fifth Element), but here they're played completely straight. The character herself is completely alien but the film also allows you to feel how alien the Earth is to her. I thought that was a really interesting part of the film.

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    1. Great observation. She did become the most human character of them all. And they did a great job showing how different she is without making a joke.

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  5. For me, this film is certainly an indication into why Jonathan Glazer is among one of the finest filmmakers working today despite having a small number of films as I think he's on his way into becoming one of the greats. Plus, it's a film that indicates why Scarlett Johansson is one of the best. A lesser actress playing that role wouldn't work as it requires a sense of physical and emotional discipline and the willingness to really bare all. It's already my 2nd favorite film of 2013 while it's also one of the best films I had seen this year in the theaters.

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    1. Until this comment, I hadn't realized how few movies he's put out. I think Birth is way underrated, and I like Sexy Beast as well. I hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for his next movie. And yeah, ScarJo was awesome.

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  6. So creepy and strange, but it worked for me. Even if I'm still trying to cobble up together exactly what it all means. Good review Dell.

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    1. Thanks. Part of the beauty of it is trying to make sense of it all. For me, anyway.

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  7. Great review here Dell. Interesting that you said Johansson never flaunts her looks as I used to think that's all she does in movies like 'He's Just Not That Into You' and 'Don Jon' but here she does seem more understated and even reserved, which probably makes her more beguiling.

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    1. Thanks. In Don Jon, flaunting her looks is what the role calls for. She easily could have done the same here, but showed much needed restraint. It made her a more mysterious figure totally fitting the film as a whole.

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