Under The Skin: Under Your Skin

Writer/Director Jonathon Glazer (Birth) brings us one of the most unsettling and easily one of the deeper films of 2014. The only way I can explain this movie's plot without ruining it is this: An alien is placed in Scotland to abduct humans. A simple plot, but this movie is complex and although not the most riveting of films, it will keep you engrossed due to its creepy and very much consistent tone of dread. Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers, Lost In Translation) stars in this Sci-Fi/Horror, and although she delivers a great performance, she is given a very simple role that could've been played by any woman in Hollywood. Nonetheless, she does perfom and the movie performs as well. Although it is classified as a horror, it does not completely frighten the viewer but rather unsettle him/her. Mica Levi's score was eerie yet stellar in terms of what it did for the audience. Under the surface of this film lies a deeper meaning that can be interpreted many different ways but it is a fresher meaning and not one commonly found or even thought about. The cinematography/camera work in general was breathtaking, many shots of the Scottish countryside and scenery are used. There is a lack of dialogue throughout the movie (the first line is only spoken 14 minutes in) which somewhat bothered me, but it did let you think, which seemed to be its intended purpose. Although I don't think the silence served as much of a purpose as this technique did in other films such as Drive or There Will Be Blood. All in all, I found this movie to be very intriguing and thought provoking. I do not recommend this for the common movie goer as they could find themselves "bored" or uninterested, however if you enjoy good films and want to think about yourself a bit, I strongly encourage you see Under The Skin.

8.5/10