***WARNING: SPOILERS...READ AT OWN RISK

Under the Skin was one of those films that I heard a lot about from the festival circuit. So when it hit the VOD market, I knew I was going to need to check it out. And this is a very interesting story to say the least.

The “alien” concept is really easy to figure out pretty early on in the film. Just from the opening sequence where she is undressing the dead female body and taking her clothes...you can tell she is trying to figure out what everything is. As well as she keeps looking at her hands, as if really trying to take in the new skin.

From this point on, the story is a little on to slow side to be honest, She spends most the time driving around in a van, picking up unsuspecting men, and bringing them into a black room, where they walk into this black “goo” like substance, and are never seen from again.

I believe it is after the fourth “victim” that you get to see it from their perspective. And we see one of the men looking at another man suspended in the goo, and he gets sucked back, and the only thing remaining is the skin. This is a very intriguing visual, but can get under you skin a bit...no pun intended, I swear.

She seems to be fine with this arrangement until she picks up a man, with a health condition who makes it where tumors grow, and his face is very deformed because of it. This is where it humanizes her character, and she tries to become more “human”. Thus giving up her mission, and sets off on the story that finishes off the movie.

The acting isn't bad in this movie...mainly because there isn't a whole lot of acting going on. Scarlett Johanson is the only known name in this film. And I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of hers, but I like the performance in this film. From interviews I've read, ninety percent of the victims in this film, upon approaching the van, and talking with the girl; they didn't know they were on camera. Kind of a hidden camera thing going on. But once she gets them in the van, they got their permission, and asked if they wanted to be involved more, and if they did...they shot them going into the black room.

This is a really interesting route to take with making an indie-art film like this. And the fact that these men had to be fully nude for their following scenes, is a testament to the smooth talking of the filmmakers behind this project.

But, seeing that the film is the way it is...that is unfortunately all I can say about the performances in the film. But, I will mention the thing everyone has been talking about since this film started taking notice. Yes, Scarlett does have her nude debut...and it is impressive. Most on-screen nude debuts are quick and subtle...but she goes all out for this one. And she says the reason for this, is because she really fell for the material in the script, and felt the nudity wasn't gratuitous, and was needed to tell the story properly.

The look of the film, and hope they put it all together, is truly where this movie shines. It's an independent movie through and through...and that won't be for everybody. There are some shots that are extremely wide, when nothing is going on, and they hold on these shots far longer than any other filmmaker I've ever seen. And that is something that I normally like to gripe about, but it actually works very well for this film. It helps put the viewer in an awkward position, which I hope is what the director was going for, but I cannot and will not speak for him.

The end result is a movie that is actually hard to put into words. And that stems from the fact that very little actually happens during the entire film, and then when they reveal everything at the end, you feel relieved, and sorrow for the lead character. Basically what I'm trying to say is this...for a film where absolutely nothing happens, if find it strange that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

I recommend this movie to every film buff out there, or anyone else who is interested in filmmaking...because this is an excellent example of what experimental filmmaking can achieve. I wouldn't be surprised if this film is shown in film schools in the future. It has that much of an impact on the audience, and is visually stimulating in ways that the average cinema does not. Check it out, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Till Next Time Kiddies...

-RJ