Under The Skin Review - NP Approved

Under The Skin (2013)

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan, Jessica Mance
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Country: UK
Genre: Sci-Fi
Official Trailer: Here

 Editor’s Notes: Under The Skin is now out in limited release. 

Some of the best and most disturbing sci-fi films are set on earth itself.  Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959), Planet of the Apes (1968), District 9 (2009), are just a few of the unsettling narratives that use planet earth as their setting.  Films like the original Star Wars trilogy used earth bound landscapes and made them seem other worldly, but director Jonathan Glazer uses these specific landscapes in a unique way for his impressively unique sci-fi.  Glazer’s new feature is not shy of using the urban landscapes of Glasgow and rural back roads of the Scottish Highlands as the familiar setting for his modern sci-fi alien narrative.  The desolate landscapes are mixed with busy cityscapes and the fact that these seem relatively familiar in terms of imagery use is the powerful impact.

 Glazer’s new feature is not shy of using the urban landscapes of Glasgow and rural back roads of the Scottish Highlands as the familiar setting for his modern sci-fi alien narrative.  

As adapted from the short novella by award winning author Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the White), the short narrative allows plenty of space for creative expansion.  In the novella there is a high emphasis on imagery and this is where director Jonathan Glazer has taking his inspiration from.  Describing the Scottish highlands and Glasgow town, there’s a keen attention to detail that is ever present in Faber’s works, which is evident in Under the Skin.  This was Faber’s first narrative fiction and in my opinion his most progressively genre bending.  Nothing of the novel is lost in the heavy use of imagery and sparse dialogues, as the focus is on how the characters are placed within their surroundings and how strange they seem within them.  Interactions with each other are intensely described in the novella by the actions and a sense of tension is developed in the film in the same way.  Fans of the book seem to adore it as a very visual adaptation, but it’s equally as entertaining for those who haven’t read the book and are witnessing the unravelling aura of the main character for the first time.

The lead for the narrative needed to be equally as impacting as the use of the settings and Scarlett Johansson fitted the bill.  She is considered a young Hollywood icon and this might seems like a strange choice given that assumption, but it’s a step she’s taken and moved in the right direction with.  From her work in huge blockbusters like The Avengers (2012), her beginnings in indie flick paradise Ghost World (2001) with Thora Birch, to a brief stint as a Woody Allen muse Vicky, Christina, Barcelona (2008) she’s proven herself as a pliable actress.  Her diverse previous roles give her the scope of taking on this lead role as an alien in human form who trawls the Scottish roads for male victims to seduce and consume.  This is arguably her first sci-fi genre piece that isn’t based on heavy character detailing in dialogue, but she has successfully expressed herself with dialogue minimal films before, like Lost in Translation (2003).  Her greatest development of this character is her distinctly awkward qualities and how she’s constantly vying for a grasp on the world around her makes it believable enough to keep you invested until the end credits.  Comments on how she as a Hollywood star already looks out of place in the back roads of Glasgow is befitting.  Her perfectly attractive beauty is akin to how she as a predator abuses the allure of the female form to indoctrinate the human males she comes into contact with.  Impressively, the chilling lack of emotional output brings across an eerie sense of innocence mixed with terrifying danger.  It’s easy to see how the lead could have been played by an unknown British actor, but I think Johansson brings a quality to the role that the feature would suffer without.

 It’s easy to see how the lead could have been played by an unknown British actor, but I think Johansson brings a quality to the role that the feature would suffer without.

The characters remain unnamed throughout and this only ads to the aesthetic style of Glazer’s production.  Coming from a background in advertising and music videos, Glazer’s famous for his film Sexy Beast (2000), where his stylish and abstract visuals bleed into the mystery of his characters.  Colour is a vital aspect of Glazer’s work and his recent viral Cadbury’s Flake advert is a fine example of how he plays with minimalist elements and a component that is a drive for Under the Skin.  Glazer’s style affects the sci-fi genre of the feature wonderfully and creates something influential as a result.  The modern trend of VFX in sci-fi is something that Glazer has denied in his use of atmospheric tensions from sensationally natural weather exposures.  The compellingly surreal scenes in the ramshackle hut our alien visits are haunting and only reliant on visual illusions and colour.  Offering something refreshing Under the Skin harks back to a more physical prop based sci-fi feature and the camera again becomes the weapon of revelations.  There are a few sequences that are perfectly every day, but slowly turn morbidly strange or thriller-esque as they progress to a more sinister scenario.  It’s been dividing audiences because of these traits and its odd genre choices.  Visually stunning is one thing everybody can seem to agree on.