Under the Skin

This strange, surreal, sci-fi horror thriller looks at what it means to be human. Accompanied by a shadowy, silent motorcyclist, an expressionless, extraterrestrial stalker (Scarlett Johansson) is on a mission. Driving a white cargo van, this alien femme fatale roams the crowded city streets of Glasgow and the rural Scottish Highlands, prowling for her chosen prey: lonely, unattached men. When she randomly finds a compliant victim, she offers him a ride, seduces him, strips him, and then sinks him into an inky, inescapable void. Although somewhat murky, there is subtext here about harvested human fillets being sent back to the alien's home planet to become part of the food chain. Loosely based on Michel Faber's titular satirical, metaphorical 2000 novel, director Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin carries some reminiscent tinges of Nicolas Roeg's 1976 classic The Man Who Fell to Earth. Apparently, most of the men in the film are non-actors who didn't realize they were being filmed by small digital cameras concealed in and around the van; only later were they asked to sign a Candid Camera-like release form (fortunately, there's little dialogue, as the Glaswegians' thick brogue is nigh indecipherable). While the atmospheric concept is mysterious and the imagery initially intriguing, repetitious tedium soon sets in. Credit Johansson for once again embodying an enigmatic entity that men desire—a role she's played in one form or another in Girl with a Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation, and Her. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (43 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an oddball film.] (S. Granger)