Under the SkinAs a society, we have a tendency to make judgments based on our interpretations, our prejudices, our values. We trust our understanding of the world to be the right one, and act based upon that trust in our judgment. Our understanding of a "sexual predator" is contrived from media stories, stereotypes, and gender expectations which "The Woman" (Scarlett Johansson) exploits to prey upon men she picks up in her van, luring them with the promise of intercourse into an incomprehensible doom, manifested partly in metaphor by a deep, black abyss which engulfs her prey.
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Under the Skin might be described as a science fiction movie, but the film deals more acutely with human interaction and the nature of being human. Much of the early portion of the film deals with her learning about what it is to lure men into solitude, to expose them and make them vulnerable. As the opening of the film portends, much of Under the Skin has to do with observation, watching. The noises we hear at the onset of the film are the struggle to form words, to speak as though it were a foreign concept. Partner this with the gradual construction of what begins to resemble--and then is--an eye, and we can discern that the woman learns in the most basic way...by watching, imitating, mimicking the behaviors of others, even if she does not understand its real significance. She is an adept learner, and stops men on the street, initiating conversations and learning how to build trust. But her actions are artificial, a mask she wears, though she wears it well--like a second skin. Analyzing her diction and manner, she sounds a lot like a pick-up artist, or more accurately, a sexual predator--coupled with her panel van, she should be sending red flags up to the men she solicits. It's not to say that these men are stupid, but simply put, they--like many of us--have preconceived notions of gender roles in the forum of sexual politics, and they allow themselves to be taken in as she capitalizes on their naivety. The real end of these men is cryptically ambiguous, and we never really know for what purpose she is harvesting these men, or who her motorcycle-riding accomplice is. Is he a mentor, her superior? Is he a researcher, a scientist of some kind, and she is some sort of elaborate experiment? Is she an alien? Certainly, the film suggests this with her alien behavior, not to mention the vast, abstract images and staccato strings reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey--even her comrade wears a motorcycle suit which almost resembles a space suit. Whatever origins she has are less important than the interactions she has with people. Under the Skin is a movie about people, even if its main character is not one.
The title--Under the Skin--is explored metaphorically and literally by degrees throughout the film. When the woman discovers that the way women beautify themselves is not done out of comfort or convenience, but out of the desire to attract a mate, the woman dons the uniform of an easy mark to lure men in, including a fur coat--which is, in effect, another skin she wears to achieve her goal. Compare this later to when she loses her coat, and is offered yet another skin to where by the man she meets on the bus who gives her shelter. Also consider when she picks up the stranger with neurofibromatosis. She is looking for prey, but does not register that his skin deformity is abnormal--though she is as of yet incapable of an empathetic response, she does not really see the skin as more than what it is, and he is concerned not by her forwardness so much as her apparent ambivalence to his condition, which it is suggested has kept him from relations with women in the past. It is fairly certain to film-goers that whatever the woman is, she is not human, though she plays at being one rather convincingly. She is an actor, and her part is a human wanting sex. In a way, this is also a subtle commentary on movies, star obsession, and the way we envision actors as their characters. The woman is built up, molded, dressed, and coached to behave in a certain way to achieve an end--this is not the real person, but the mask she wears when she goes "on stage". Her good looks are a component of her costume, designed to achieve the result of seduction. Star worship exists as patrons of tabloids read for salacious material about the rich and famous, as suggestive poses in Vanity Fair portray the Hollywood elite in an erotic light; Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to this world, but her portrayal of the woman in Under the Skin is especially savvy, considering her star power and good looks often place her consistently on many "most beautiful women" lists in publications designed to feed this kind of celebrity adoration. Under the Skin exploits this aspect of the zeitgeist to underscore that we often allow ourselves to draw conclusions about these stars from what we see and what we expect, rather than what we know and what we actually observe. Observing that stars are people--like us--helps us to empathize with them...maybe not on an economic or social level the same way, but as members of the human race. The woman begins to fathom the horrors of her actions when she takes a long look in the mirror and sees who she is to them, and what she has become. The truth is that we can never truly know what lurks beneath the mask which others present; and though we can try at a deeper understanding through observation, it's only skin deep.
Recommended for: Fans of a psychological and abstract take on a science fiction-esque story about a sexy female predator, preying on men, but discovering her humanity and the fears that come with it.
The title--Under the Skin--is explored metaphorically and literally by degrees throughout the film. When the woman discovers that the way women beautify themselves is not done out of comfort or convenience, but out of the desire to attract a mate, the woman dons the uniform of an easy mark to lure men in, including a fur coat--which is, in effect, another skin she wears to achieve her goal. Compare this later to when she loses her coat, and is offered yet another skin to where by the man she meets on the bus who gives her shelter. Also consider when she picks up the stranger with neurofibromatosis. She is looking for prey, but does not register that his skin deformity is abnormal--though she is as of yet incapable of an empathetic response, she does not really see the skin as more than what it is, and he is concerned not by her forwardness so much as her apparent ambivalence to his condition, which it is suggested has kept him from relations with women in the past. It is fairly certain to film-goers that whatever the woman is, she is not human, though she plays at being one rather convincingly. She is an actor, and her part is a human wanting sex. In a way, this is also a subtle commentary on movies, star obsession, and the way we envision actors as their characters. The woman is built up, molded, dressed, and coached to behave in a certain way to achieve an end--this is not the real person, but the mask she wears when she goes "on stage". Her good looks are a component of her costume, designed to achieve the result of seduction. Star worship exists as patrons of tabloids read for salacious material about the rich and famous, as suggestive poses in Vanity Fair portray the Hollywood elite in an erotic light; Scarlett Johansson is no stranger to this world, but her portrayal of the woman in Under the Skin is especially savvy, considering her star power and good looks often place her consistently on many "most beautiful women" lists in publications designed to feed this kind of celebrity adoration. Under the Skin exploits this aspect of the zeitgeist to underscore that we often allow ourselves to draw conclusions about these stars from what we see and what we expect, rather than what we know and what we actually observe. Observing that stars are people--like us--helps us to empathize with them...maybe not on an economic or social level the same way, but as members of the human race. The woman begins to fathom the horrors of her actions when she takes a long look in the mirror and sees who she is to them, and what she has become. The truth is that we can never truly know what lurks beneath the mask which others present; and though we can try at a deeper understanding through observation, it's only skin deep.
Recommended for: Fans of a psychological and abstract take on a science fiction-esque story about a sexy female predator, preying on men, but discovering her humanity and the fears that come with it.