"Under The Skin" (2013) What's Under There?

The Trailer:

Director: Jonathan Glazer
Main Cast: Scarlett Johansson

Synopsis: An unnamed woman (Scarlett Johansson) preys on men in the streets of Scotland but soon begins to understand what it means to be human.

Under The Skin is not a film for everyone. There is no plot, little to no dialogue, and if focuses on one character for the entirety of the film. With that being said, I enjoyed this film. It had it's moments where I was a little bored, because, let's be honest, it's an hour and forty-five minutes of nothing happening and no answer-giving to any of the numerous questions that you will undoubtedly develop while watching. But that doesn't render it a bad film. In fact, what I most respect about this film is how it studies and showcases human behavior from the perspective of an outsider (i.e. an alien). In it's entirety, it is the study of humanity and how we place so much effort and value on the superficial rather than the internal and what effects that has on the choices that we make. Or, at least, that's the takeaway I got from it. Oh, before I forget, Under the Skin is based on a book of the same name written by Michel Faber, and apparently the screen-writers didn't stay true to the content of the story. I have yet to read the book, so I can't make any comparisons. Okay, onward we go.

There is a real juxtaposition in Scarlett Johansson's character (which I will refer to as The Woman from this point forward) that is both charming and unsettling. She is much like a child being exposed to the world for the first time: she is curious and amazed but also weary and just unaware of human customs and civilities. Yet, naive as she is, she is a calculated predator as well, intent on luring men to their demise. It's a strange mix, and Scarlett Johansson pulls it off well. Though The Woman doesn't speak much, all the acting is within the mannerisms and facial expressions. Her movements are jerky as she learns to host this new human body and her face is sculpted into forced polite expressions but usually remains completely blank as though she feels and sees nothing. It's just bizarre to see her feign kindness and friendly conversation while deciding whether or not this man will be her next victim. And there are so many scenes that showcase this complete lack of empathy and human connection, it's perfect. Adding to that, The Woman displays a slow arc from her apathetic disposition to become more human with a range of emotions such as love(?) and empathy, but it is a painstakingly slow arc as we watch her do some heartless things in the beginning, like a certain scene with a baby.

Since there is little dialogue, the dark atmospheric tone the movie builds relies heavily on the score. And let me tell you, the score is absolutely fantastic! It's soft, eerie and otherworldly. Take a listen:
I listened to this song in particular about a thousand times in one day, it's just that good! And, like I said, it's truly what creates the aura of extraterrestrialism (that's my new cool word, spread it around darlings) that is ever present in this film.

Now, the cinematography. The director and the cinematographer did an absolutely brilliant job at manifesting such strange, horrific beauty through gorgeous shots of lush countryside juxtaposed with shots of an industrial Scotland city that mirrors the polarized nature of The Woman. Not only the setting, but the scenes of the men's deaths are creative and like nothing I've ever seen. The originality that is present is priceless; with alien movies you can always expect to see similar things like a large beam of white light, but not with this one. And what I love most about the death scenes, or the whole movie actually, is the simplicity of it. The lack of embellishments is refreshing and I just fucking love it. But just because it's simple doesn't mean it's not effective; I was genuinely intrigued and entranced by the bizarre beauty of it. What I also love about the directing is the immense symbolism that is shown through certain scenes that I really like such as the cake scene. There is a scene where The Woman is about the eat a slice of delicious-looking chocolate cake but as she begins to chew it she realizes that it's actually disgusting and so spits it out: this scene shows how we, humans, gauge the quality of things on the superficial aspects of it rather than what it actually has to offer. It's an interesting scene, one that many people (according to IMDb) think is pointless, but I think it's necessary in The Woman's slow transition from non-human to human.

Now onto components that I didn't like about Under The Skin. !!! Spoiler Alert !!! (Not sure if any of the following are actually spoilers, but just in case, you know?) One, there are so many unanswered questions. I'm all for ambiguity in movies and symbolism as they allow the viewer to have discussion and debates about what they mean— like if you don't agree with my symbolism of the cake scene tell me let's have a discussion about it—, but there are events and elements presented that are never explained which need to be. Example: the motorcycle men (as I like to call them), who are they? Are they aliens as well? Or are they just people who help The Woman? I don't know and I doubt we'll ever find out, unless they are explained in the book in which case I will find out when I read it. Two, we see as the second man descends into The Woman's viscous, dark liquid chamber that the first man's meat is literally sucked out of his skin and is then sent down a conveyor belt of sorts into a slit of red light, but what for what purpose? It is never said or shown what the purpose of the human meat is for. Do The Woman's alien species eat it? Is it for fuel? Is it to create offspring? I have no clue, but this leads me to the third thing I don't like. Three, why men? Why does The Woman only lure men into her trap? I guess you an go by the logic that only men can be seduced by her, but that is flimsy logic as there are lesbians in the world. And why does she have to seduce them anyway? The Woman could just as easily pick up a woman off the street with the pretense that it's unsafe for a woman to walk home alone at night, or even a child. (I'm not promoting child/woman abduction, but for the realm of the movie it could have been done) Also, it seems like there is some kind of thought process in deciding who she will kill, so what is the criteria the men must fit in order to be picked? Four, the ending. The entirety of the film is muted, subdued, and metaphorical but the ending is so tangible which makes it seem displaced. And I know it's to show the ultimate cruelty of humanity as The Woman finally finds empathy and love(?), but still it doesn't sit well with the rest of the film.

Overall I like the film despite all of it's unanswered questions and the elements that I didn't like. It's weird, original, and a definite slow-burner and a slow-dissolver, which you know (if you've been reading my other reviews) I really love. It's definitely slow and not something a lot of people will like or appreciate. But if you're a person who likes a movie that makes you think and ponder your own possession or lack of humanity. Would I watch it again? Yes, definitely!