Under the Skin

Under the Skin – Dir. Jonathan Glazer (2014)

Jonathan Glazer made a name for himself directing commercials and music videos for bands like Radiohead and Jamiroquai. His video for "Virtual Insanity" earned four MTV Video Music Awards. His feature-length debut was 2000's Sexy Beast, a remarkable crime film dominated by an award winning performance from Ben Kingsley. His follow-up, Birth, met with mixed reviews and even received boos at the Venice Film Festival. Almost a decade later, Glazer has finally released his third picture, Under the Skin, a minimalistic sci-fi flick with Scarlett Johansson in the lead.

As a member of the Avengers, Johansson is the sultry Black Widow, but in Under the Skin, she plays a different sort of black widow. She is an unnamed alien who has taken human form. She trawls the streets of Glasgow, Scotland luring men into her van. These unsuspecting males are so enamored by this otherworldly beauty that they don't sense anything amiss. Not even when they are taken to a room with jet black walls and they sink into a viscous liquid. What happens next is quite horrifying.

Under the Skin is loosely based on a novel by Michel Faber. The source material was a satire and the irony of the human race treated as cattle for an alien species was emphasized. For the film version, Glazer scrapped away any trace of humor for an eerie story with an air of mystery. Glazer wisely avoids delving into the origins of the extraterrestrials. There is no voiceover narration or internal monologues to spell out every emotion or motivation. Exactly why they collect the humans is never explained, but it's clear they view us as nothing more than hogs to be led to the slaughter. This becomes particularly clear in a chilling sequence in which a crying baby is left alone on a beach, completely ignored by Johansson and her male handler (professional motorcyclist Jeremy McWilliams).

The country of Scotland is equally portrayed as equally otherworldly, a realm of perpetually gray skies and inhabitants with indiscernible accents. The gloomy landscape is effectively scored by Mica Levi who utilizes a recurring theme of creepy and screeching violin strings.

Johansson might not seem like it, but she is perfectly cast as the seductress from outer space. However, this isn't a 1950's drive-in movie. She doesn't vamp it up and though there are a handful of nude scenes, there's nothing sexy or erotic about them. Through her character, Glazer explores the hot button topics of gender politics, sexual identity, and body image.

One of the reasons for the long gap between films was Glazer's need to wait for technology to provide hidden cameras of the highest quality. Clad in a fur coat and black wig, Johansson would drive through Glasgow picking up random pedestrians. Many of these men had no idea they were the woman twice named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire. Glazer had them and other non-actors sign agreements to appear in the movie. Let's face it; if a man attempted to flirt with unsuspecting women while behind the wheel of a serial killer van, it would not end well. There would be flashes of Silence of the Lambs, followed by frantic calls to the police. Yet, men seem to have no problem hopping into the van with Johansson, regardless of the horrific fate awaiting them.

Make no mistake; Johansson won't be confused with Natasha Henstridge in Species. There's nothing overtly sexual about her character nor is there any malice in her actions. She is simply performing a duty that seems necessary for the survival of her kind. Yet, there is a prevailing discomfort she feels while trapped within her gooey flesh. She never quite grows accustomed to her new body and many people will probably sympathize. Of course, she'll eventually start to question her question her purpose as the pangs of human emotions seep through. The turning point comes when she encounters a shy, young man with facial disfigurements, played by Adam Pearson who suffers from neurofibromatosis.

Many reviews have brought up Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in comparison to Under the Skin. However, I'd liken Glazer's picture to Nicholas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth on a shoestring budget. Glazer has essentially crafted a B-movie with haunting, arthouse aesthetics. Under the Skin is easily one of the best films of 2014.

Rating: **** (*****)