Mysterious Skin (2004)

Though the subject matter of Mysterious Skin is as sensational as that of Gregg Araki's other films (such as Totally F***ked Up, The Doom Generation, or The Living End), his direction is richer and more multilayered than ever before. Two Kansas teenagers named Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You) and Brian (Brady Corbett, Thirteen) share a childhood trauma--but their responses are radically different: Neil hustles tricks, while Brady, who can't remember what happened, believes he was abducted by aliens and left with "missing time." As both try to make sense of their lives and Brian struggles to find out the truth, Mysterious Skin builds to an emotional pitch that some viewers will find uncomfortable and others will find liberating. The characters of Neil and Brian have a fullness that lifts Mysterious Skin above most examinations of sexual abuse and trauma. Gordon-Levitt has been deservedly praised by the critics, but the entire cast--which also includes Bill Sage (Simple Men), Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24)--turns in superb performances. A striking and powerful movie. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Mysterious Skin

I believe of all the gay films I have watched over the years, this rates as one of the top 5. I watch this film over and over again. I just purchased one for some friends of mine. It is a story, not just sex. June 4, 2008

Overwhelmingly disturbing.

From the trailer, I thought Mysterious Skin would act as an ample morsel in my dietary "artsy-fartsy film" plan. What I received in return was a film that documents the bitter residual effect of child molestation, and one that inflicts far too emotional pain in the viewer. One could argue that it's done in a tasteful way, as was the way the film was described to me by a clerk at Blockbuster (who was quite cryptic on the subject matter before I rented the film), but I would have to disagree. 'Mysterious Skin' boorishly attacks us with flashbacks that, while not overly graphic, do enough to the viewer to leave you asking, "Why did I rent this again?" This was certainly the case with my friends and I, who could do nothing more than shake our heads as we fast-forwarded through gratuitous nonsensically graphic scenes that could have been left out of the film completely while still accomplishing the goal of the director. There are some seriously hard-to-take portions of film and it often seems like the director is attempting to force-feed us the horrors that child-abuse will produce down the line.

The plot is based on two young men who are dealing with their shared pasts in different ways. One thinks he was abducted by aliens while the other still has a psychological bond with the man who took advantage of him. Both end up confronting each other as they confront their tragic past and form a common union that will eventually help lead to their healing.

There are plenty of films out there that are of high quality work, and Mysterious Skin is well-made on the art front, but the theme is far too strong for most to deal with, especially if you have experienced the trauma that comes with child-abuse. A solid soundtrack by Robin Gutherie adds to the desired ambiance, but is not enough to make this any type of film I would recommend.

April 16, 2008

under rated movie

wow this movie is disturbing but great... sure the subject matter is wrong but wasn't the movie the graduate back in the late 1960's? or maybe the movie sophies choice... ok so there is alot of examples i can give over and over... the point this movie is different and none hollywood in every way making it way better then the rest... so if you like hollywood movies u might hate this... April 16, 2008

I really think 113 reviews is enough!

But I have owned this movie for over two years, so I thought I should at least give some personal reactions(I don't think another rehash of the plot is necessary).

The "tagline" (I think that means the line that appeared on many of the original posters) is "One can't remember...and the other can't forget." Not many have pointed out that in a sense, Neil (Gordon-Levitt) is just as stuck back there in the past as Brian (Corbet) is. Neil knew he was gay before "Coach" picked him out, and, in fact, thought of their relationship as a "love affair," and the feeling he had for Coach as "love." When he starts hustling, he tries to pick men who are middle-aged (like Coach), a bit chunky (like Coach), and whom he can trust, as he trusted Coach. He has NO romance or love in his life, and no sex, except insofar as he gets sex from his johns (which considering that they do the paying, is a fair amount!). So while Brian (Corbet) has blocked the (one night stand--with Neil, the thing lasted all summer) out of his mind, substituted an alien abduction, and feels no sexual attraction for anyone, Neil's life is, in spite of its adventurousness, a certail sense of accomplishment, and, eventully, brutality--just as stuck as Brian's is. So while Araki shw us the widely-veering away from eachother lives of the two sexually abused children, it's clear that that, in a sense, the abuse has stopped the emotional development of both.

Their coming together, at the end, with Neil explaning to Brian what happened to him that night (which he has by now partially guessed), is a kind of a miracle, and we are left with a feeling of hope. Neil realizes what a destructive force Coach was, not only for Brian, but for him as well, and Brian accepts the reality of what happened to him, and (especially in the movie) seems to feel a real warmth for Neil.

I tried for months to get my transgender friend to watch this movie, but as soon as I told him what it was about, he said, "No. I don't want to see it." He slowly chanaged his mind, and we finally did watch it together. He never laughed (not even when Neil is getting blown under the table while annuncing a local baseball game), and said Neil didn't do anything for him (considering our similarities in taste in other similar matters, I'm not quite sure I don't take this with a grain of salt). What impressed him most about the movie, aside from its exquisite direction and acting, was that "neither of the two eight year old actors--or perhaps even younger--would have to know ANYTHING about what the movie as about." That is absolutely true. (Of course, they may have learned about it from older friends; I don't know),. But watch it carefully. With seemless editing, what seems to be a violation, and what seems to be a seduction, of two small boys, never involves either boy directly ("Here we go." But Coach's face moves toward the camera, not the 8-year-old Neil). Compare this to, for instance "The Innocents," in which Miles has to kiss his governess full on the mouth, recite a morbid and suggestive poem, and says some fairly nasty thing to her.
We never see any real sex; we never see an improper kiss (unless you count Eric's and Neils!). The language is way, way out there, and it leave no question as to what is going on, in words that I probably can't print here. For the viewer, this language makes every scene utterly real.

Things and scenes i especially liked:

the way Neil's mother "doesn't know" what he does for a living; yeah, I bet she doesn't!
Avalen calls Brian out to her farm in the middkle of the night. There in the field lies a dead cow, drained of it's blood (aliens of course have done this, according to Avalen). It is slit up the center, and she urges him. "Put your hand in!" Eventually he does...and then, puts it in deeper, and deeper, until only his elbow shows. "You didn't have to do THAT," says Avalen. Yes, he did.
The rapist and batterer of Neil uses a bottle of Johnson's Baby Shampoo to hit him with (among other things),. It says "No more tears" on it.
The way we follow Neil's thoghts in the final scene, as the camera pans up and up, until the two boys are little more than a speck on their couch. "I wished I could tell him everything would be all right now, but I knew it wouldn't, so i didn't. I just tried to make him understand how sorry I was. I wished we could rise out of there, like two angels in the night..." (Sorry, this is from memory; it's probably better in the film).

...and I still like the blown baseball game.

April 15, 2008

Michelle Trachtenberg Plays Surporting Role---Fantastic!!!

I actually was beating around the bush, wondering if i was going to like it. And i did, I only bought it because of I'm a huge fan of Michelle Trachtenberg, and although she's only in a few scenes. She played the part great. This movie was a lesson to learn, and did it teach us all. Whether your straight or not, it has meaning. As for my review here, 2 little boys abused, 1 big boy making money the wrong way grew up to be gay, the other big boy lost trying to remember his childhood, the 2nd gay guy in love with the first boy... The girl best friend with both gay guys, moves to Nee York and in up trying to reach out to her child hood friend who comes to visit. At the end the first two boys meet once again after so many years, only to dicover how messed up thier child hood was, wish if they could go back and change what had happen to them. Over All--Always use protection no matter what the situration is. April 11, 2008

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