1223

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Under the skin (2014)

An indifferent, mysterious woman with a van – what is she after? A silent man on motorcycle – assisting or controlling?

Assorted misfits struggle against the patterns of existence but ultimately go nowhere in this (literally!) many-layered meditation on loneliness, elevated by eerie soundscapes and visual themes of black and white; soot and snow, complexion, fog and engulfing darkness. Remorse arise eventually, release seems possible, and tables may turn as predator turns prey and vice versa. Drearily beautiful, sparse, and remote Scotland is a nigh-perfect backdrop. The otherworldly femme fatale uses – and is threatened by – the twisted driving force of male sexuality.

Haunting and suggestive, but too monotonous and unresolved for my taste. Probably not in my book of awkward bodily focus, disguise, dread, and humanity.

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2 Responses to 1223

  1. SJHoneywell says:

    I genuinely disliked this film. I thought it was pointless and stupid, went nowhere and exists merely to make film critics make fools of themselves looking for meaning that doesn’t exist.

    I can take a film that is incomprehensible. But incomprehensible and dull? No thanks.

  2. The »point« for me was the protagonist’s rather harrowing alienness, well portrayed in several scenes – and also the shift from hunter to hunted.

    May main gripe is the almost total lack of explanation (those motorcycle guys?). Plus the monotone, almost non-existent »story«.

    Ultimately, this one fails. Maybe it would have worked better if it had been shorter.

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