Jonathan Glazer’s confounding sci-fi drama “Under the Skin” (2013) is the kind of movie, which would be watched by many for the presence of a beautiful star, and would be condemned by the same for its perplexing storyline. The reason many viewers might find it ‘dull’ is because there are no mainstream elements in the film. The storyline (adapted from Michael Faber’s novel), although looks simple on the surface, it is absolutely impenetrable. If you could slip into meditative mood and be there for the whole running time (100 minutes), then you could applaud Glazer’s artistry and visions. Even though, I was engrossed by this bizarre dream of a movie, I don’t have many interpretations of what actually happens in this movie.
The movie begins with a white spot of light (there are
mumblings in the background, like someone is learning the language) on a black
background, which slowly develops into a disc, and then becomes a close-up of
an eye. The eye belongs to a beautiful unnamed woman (Scarlett Johansson) with
jet-black hair. A mysterious man in a bike carries a woman’s body (might be a
hooker’s) into a white space. The beautiful woman puts on the other’s clothes
and heads out into the world in a van. She goes to a department store to buy a
fur coat and makeup. Through a radio bulletin we get to know that she is in
Scotland. She drives around the streets looking for solitary men. She tries to
lure young men into her van on the pretext of asking directions.
The men who get into the van are unattached, world-weary,
horny, and couldn’t believe their luck. The men end up in her dark, long
corridor house. Here, she slowly disrobes and the men following suit, get
increasingly unaware that they have stepped into an inky ocean. They slowly get
immersed into the inky pool and before embracing their death, the men see the
bodies of former victims, floating naked. The woman, with a beautiful skin, is
in reality a hunter, an alien. We are never told where she is from or why she
is doing this or who is the mysterious man helping her. But, through an early episode on the beach,
we could sense that she has no feeling whatsoever. She leaves a toddler on a
rocky beach, after witnessing the death of child’s parents (consumed by huge
tidal waves). But, gradually she ‘feels’, though she isn’t sure what do with
that.
Viewers may find plenty of similarities to movies like
“Species”, “Invasion of Body Snatchers”, and “Life Force”, but there’s no
connection in the way “Under the Skin” unfolds on-screen. Director Glazer’s
choice of lingering, long shots (in order to establish mood) is totally
antithetical to the rapid-cut formats favored in many contemporary cinema. It
was said that the 2000 novel by Faber (by which the movie was based) doesn’t
have many enigmatic elements, as in the film. In the book, the alien seductress
has a name and a detailed back story. Glazer, by intentionally obfuscating all
those details has tried to amplify the bizarre, beautiful other-worldliness of
this creature, whose soulless eyes disregards human suffering.
Glazer casting choice for the lead actor is definitely based
on Johansson’s sex appeal. But, Glazer doesn’t concentrate on only making her
as a Venus flytrap. After the ‘disfigured man’ episode, he infuses a new found
curiosity into Johansson’s character as she gradually attempts to fit in. She
goes to a restaurant to eat food and even tries to have a sexual intercourse
with a man, who showed her compassion. But, just when she is about to do it,
she is surprised or shocked by the act of sexual penetration. She pushes the
man away and shines a lamp to analyze her genitals. This scene, along with the
scene, where she examines her body in front of a mirror, shows how the alien is
beginning to come to grips about the human body, in which it is hiding. It is
mystified by the strangeness. All these later sequences make us to read
Glazer’s film as a fable on forlornness, sex and love.
Scarlett Johansson gives a strong performance, which was
totally built out of facial expressions and body language. The enigmatic
storytelling method would have gone futile, if not for Johansson. The van
scenes in the film were shot (by cinematographer Daniel Ladin) with eight
hidden cameras. Johansson, hiding under a black wig, actually talked with
unsuspecting young men, who didn’t have a slightest idea that they were in a
film. Scotland seems to be the perfect place for this desolate tale. The oddly
beautiful landscapes come off as one of the film’s character.
Those who hate “Under the Skin” can easily summarize it as
“Johansson picking up random Scottish men, occasionally getting naked”. There’s
some truth in that remark too. However, I felt that this existential sci-fi
cinema is far more intriguing than other ‘alien on earth’ movies. Interested
viewers might think it needs more than one viewing; others might think it
doesn’t deserve to be watched even for single time.
Trailer
3 comments:
Piercing through skin...!
Hmmm looks interesting
I was totally unaware about this one. Still scratching head how did it happen.
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