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Under The Skin (15)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer
5 Stars
Based loosely on Michel Faber's novel, Under The Skin tells the story of a predatory alien (Scarlett Johansson) who cruises Scotland's streets in a van looking for men to seduce and then dine out on.
In her house, her victims expect sex. But instead they find themselves in another dimension, where their innards are sucked out and everything else discarded.
A sense of horror, interlaced with dark humour, permeates this grisly tale. The girl has no "feelings" - she has no intrerest in human beings other than as a food source - but her journey forces her to question her mission and her own identity.
The alien is transformed as she starts to have feelings for the beauty of relationships and discovers all the wonder and ugliness of the world and "what it is to be human."
Director Jonathan Glazer brings an almost documentary observation to bear on the alien environment, in turn hallucinogenic and mesmeric, as he skilfully avoids any cliches and deliver a powerful yet beautifully restrained statement.
Rita di Santo
