Under the
Skin (2013):
Synopsis –
An outsider pursues men for unknown purposes. Through her eyes we see humanity
in a new light. What was once common becomes strange and alien.
Sarah and I went to see this at the local theater downtown.
We had been eagerly waiting for it to come to anywhere nearby, as the trailer for the movie is mysterious and that’s what we
like! 3 people walked out of the screening we were at (this is according to
Sarah, I didn’t witness it), that’s always a good sign right? Shocking amounts
of nudity (from both sexes) and beautiful, documentary style camera work wasn’t
enough to keep them in their seats! As for Sarah and I, we loved it. Our minds
were blown; not in a collective fashion, don’t be creepy. I feel like the world
has been blessed the last couple of months, having month after month with only
a few lapses between the releases of another set of must see movies. This piece
of science-fiction works so well as a frightening thriller and a social commentary
I can hardly believe that it is real. I want to go see it again right now.
What I Liked:
-I don’t know what you call this slow and measured camera
work style, but I am a fan of it. I don’t need quick edits for continuity, I
rather enjoy seeing a shot being held, forcing the viewer to take in everything
that can be taken in. It emphasized the almost robotic nature of the
protagonist.
-Scarlett Johansson made this movie. Not literally, I mean
that she was the perfect choice for her role. She holds herself in a way that
is reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator, except every once in
a while she must pretend to be a normal person, showing the smallest facsimile
of emotion. When in the second half of the movie puts her in even more of a
position of being introduced with the unfamiliar, you cannot help but be on her
side as you would be for a child discovering feelings and “tastes”. Something
needs to be said about her and the films representation of sexuality and power
also, but I once again find myself without the intelligence to handle those
subjects. While Johansson in the film is presented as a seductress, there is
nothing sexy in her actions. It is a trick and one that works so well that you
stop feeling sorry for her victims almost immediately. Johansson does such an amazing job in this
film, I cannot say enough.
-Whenever this movie dipped into the unhuman sections of the
film, it did an amazing job of utterly perplexing me. What I saw and heard
happening during these points made a strange sort of sense, but it was still
completely alien to me. Alien, terrifying and fascinating. Some of it was very
2001, which of course is right up my alley.
What I Didn’t
Like, What I Hated:
-I am head over
heels for this movie. I am sure that if I wanted to I could complain about
parts of it, but I won’t because it was too good to merit that kind of
deconstruction.
Verdict:
A warning to people
who read this and are now thinking “yeah, I’ma gonna see dat one!” This movie
is not for everyone. In fact, I would be surprised if outside of super movie
nerds many people like the movie. If you are going to see it for the nudity,
you are going to be very bored and in the end very disappointed. If you want to
see a slow paced, sci-fi mystery thriller, like you’ve never seen before? Then go
check it out. Try to see it on the big screen, because it will probably work
best there.
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