Under The Skin

UNDER THE SKIN

Director : Jonathan Glazer

Year : 2014

Genre : Science Fiction

Rating : ***1/2

Combining at once the core elements of nightmarish Lynch-ian surrealism, Kubrick-ian proficiency, Loach-ian social realism and Jodorowsky-ian nudity to startling effect, 'Under The Skin' a strange bag of fear, strangeness and reality from British director Jonathan Glazer. Based on the popular cult novel of the same name, the movie tells the story of an alien who takes the form of a woman to harvest the flesh from unbeknownst Glaswegian hitchhikers. Starring Scarlett Johannson in what many critics are calling her best role to date, 'Under The Skin' is a wholly bizarre and mostly successful study of our society and while it's ideas may fly over the heads of many of it's viewers, I found it to be a creeping, predatory piece of cinema that certainly got under my skin the more I thought about it.

In a role that fiercely contrasts her celebrity heritage, Johansson plays Isserley, a strange alien who comes to Earth to feed on the flesh of the people of Glasgow. Taking on the form of a beautiful woman who died before the events of the film, she/it takes to driving around the cold, dark streets of the city to pick up naive and unknown men to take back to her lair and feed of their dead bodies. However, as the alien comes to empathize and identify with her human form, Isserley begins to realise that empathy and compassion comes with a price. 

While the film is a hodge podge of numerous ideas and themes, the film certainly works best when it serves as a commentary on our ever growing disparate society and thanks to some wonderfully realistic performances, the movie lulls us into the plight of every single one of it's doomed characters. As innocent as new born babies, the victims of Isserleys insatiable lush for flesh are painted as benevolent well wishers who are trapped by their own urge for happiness and fulfillment. Seduced by the power of beauty, these men are victims of their own desires and as a text about the dangers of trust and sex, 'Under The Skin' works pretty damn well.

Watching the Hollywood star Scarlett Johannson driving around the drab streets of Glasgow is incredibly strange and her mostly wordless performance makes for an iconic and unforgettable character. Dressed like Jared Leto in 'Dallas Buyers Club', she perfectly contrasts the urban jungle that is Glasgow and watching her talking and traversing the streets of a typically British city is just as fantastical and surreal as any of the intently abnormal nightmarish sequences. But then I suppose that's the point. A Hollywood star is an alien compared to Glasgow and she was the perfect choice to play this extra terrestrial who is all at once sexy, unpredictable and deadly.

These scenes of apparent tranquility contrast brilliantly with the very disturbing and bizarre surrealism that take effect whenever a soul is harvested and the combination of imagery and Micachu's monotonic soundtrack form a wholly unnerving and disturbing atmosphere. At the screening I was in, there was a healthy amount of cringing and even a number of jumps showing just how involving the picture really is and while I am certainly no fan of jump scares, I was caught out a number of times by the perfect execution of the David Lynch inspired surrealism.

As the film progresses, it becomes much more covert and the lack of narrative or script can lead to a number of head scratching moments. The characters are barely developed and this does mean that the film loses a sense of drive or energy in the slower, drawn out scenes of which there are many. With no central protagonist, it is very hard to become invested in the narrative and for me personally, this did prove to be rather problematic. However that being said, I admired greatly Glazers grotesque vision, Johannsons out of left field performance and the overwhelming air of terror that engulfs the entire running time of the movie. From it's Kubrick influenced opening to it's grim and stark finale, 'Under The Skin' is a piece that defies conventions, expectations and the per-concieved ideas about the maligned science fiction genre.