Under the Skin (2013)

 

Genre: Sci-fi/ Drama

Time: 1h 48mins

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Quick Summary: A mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.

Maybe I didn't understand this film. Maybe I was just too bored. 

For a good portion of the film, there is no dialogue. This doesn't usually bother me, except that nothing happens in this film for so long. This might have worked better if this had a shorter run time, as the pacing is dreadful too. Everything is so dragged out and slow.

The aesthetic and how everything was shot is absolutely phenomenal though. It creates a really good creepy vibe, and a lot of the framing of shots is very impressive and pleasing to look at. It knows how to be artsy and expressive through visuals and lighting. I also really liked the score as it added a lot to how creepy this came across. 

Scarlett Johansson is mesmerising here, she is absolutely stunning. Though she doesn't say much, I liked her performance as this void of personality (this is a good thing) that tries to discover what she is through a few different ways that I like. 

I understand this is a film that is very thought-provoking, but unfortunately due to the slow pacing and long stretches of nothing, I became pretty bored throughout this. It comes across as very artsy and could have been done with more input into the script.

4/10