Under The Skin Review: Mind-Stirring Art-Horror Film

Under The Skin does exactly that, get under your skin.

An unnamed character played by Scarlett Johansson chats up Scottish males in the streets while driving a van asking for directions, but why is she also asking questions to ascertain if they are alone?

Things take a bizarre yet fascinating turn as the movie takes you from ordinary moments in Scotland to a room that mirrors the dark corners of space. You don’t really know what’s going on, but you do know that something stranger is going on.

That something unravels itself bit by bit, with a haunting score and moody atmospheric visuals that tell you that there is more.

Scarlett Johansson delivers a great and bold performance as the alien seductress with forced mannerisms and calculated gestures. Men are attracted to her good looks, receptiveness, and lack of personality.

The movie’s visually-driven plot is ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways. It makes you take a look at the human condition – identity and gender roles – and what drives us – fear, lust, pity, and desire – through the eyes of an observer whose moral awakening turns into a self-discovery.

Under The Skin is a haunting snapshot of what it’s like to be human without the cheesy sentimentality.