Mysterious Skin (2004)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Gregg Araki

Writers:

Gregg Araki (screenplay)
Scott Heim (novel)

Release Date:

30 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Two boys. One can't remember. The other can't forget.

Plot:

A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Hustler | Love | Alien Abduction | Coach

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Chase Ellison	...	Neil (Age 8)
George Webster	...	Brian (Age 8)
Rachael Nastassja Kraft	...	Deborah (Age 12) (as Rachael Kraft)
Lisa Long	...	Mrs. Lackey
Chris Mulkey	...	Mr. Lackey
Elisabeth Shue	...	Mrs. McCormick
David Lee Smith	...	Alfred
Bill Sage	...	Coach
Riley McGuire	...	Wendy (Age 11)
Ryan Stenzel	...	Stephen Zepherelli
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Neil
Richard Riehle	...	Charlie
Michelle Trachtenberg	...	Wendy
Brady Corbet	...	Brian
Larry Marko	...	Old Man with Scar

Runtime:

99 min | USA:107 min (Sundance Channel Library Print)

Country:

USA | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Alberta/British Columbia) | USA:NC-17 | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 (TV rating) (2007) (self applied) | Portugal:M/18 (Qualidade) | France:-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Ireland:18 | Singapore:R21 | UK:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Desperate Pictures

Trivia:

The logo for the fictional show "World of Mystery" is the same as the logo for real-life production company "World of Wonder".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When he arrives in Brighton Beach on a December night in 1991, Neil is seen noting where the closest subway stop is. The Brighton Beach station sign shows a Q in a yellow circle and a Q in a yellow diamond. But the "Q diamond" train was operating on that line for only a few years starting in the early 2000s. Prior to that, the Brighton Beach stop serviced the "Q circle" and the D trains.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Brian: [narration voice-over] The summer I was 8 years old, five hours disappeared from my life. Five hours. Lost. Gone without a trace.
Brian: [narration voice-over] Last thing I remember I was sitting on the bench at my Little League game. It started to rain. What happened after that remains a pitch black void.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Galaxy

Gave me goosebumps

Amazing. I was expecting another sexually charged adrenaline infused dark comedy a la Doom Generation or an ironic look at relationships in the post-modern world like Splendor. Instead I found a more mature, calmer tale. Still funny, but muted, dark but based on the darker parts of human nature in reality... The performances were unbelievable. Joseph Gordon-Levitt came across with a combination of grit and beauty, anger and happiness that reminded me of Colin Farrell. The cockiness of youth, the sadness of child abuse, and a realistic recognition of prepubescent sexuality. The opening sequence reminded me of something in my youth - nothing specific it just left me with this certain feeling. I hope this is a sign of things to come....