Under the Skin (1997)

Although married and pregnant Rose has always been Mother's favorite, it is younger sister Iris whose life is shaken up by Mother's death. Suffocating, Iris spirals out of control and copes... See full summary »

Director:

Carine Adler

Writer:

Carine Adler

Stars:

Samantha Morton, Claire Rushbrook, Rita Tushingham

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samantha Morton	...	Iris Kelly
Claire Rushbrook	...	Rose Kelly
Rita Tushingham	...	Mum
Christine Tremarco	...	Vron
Stuart Townsend	...	Tom
Matthew Delamere	...	Gary
Mark Womack	...	Frank
Clara Francis	...	Elena
Joe Tucker	...	Sam
Daniel O'Meara	...	Max
Crissy Rock	...	Compere
Lisa Millett	...	Sylvia (as Lisa Millet)
John Whitehall	...	Man at station
Marie Jelliman	...	Manageress
Michelle Byatt	...	Woman In Lost Property

Storyline

Although married and pregnant Rose has always been Mother's favorite, it is younger sister Iris whose life is shaken up by Mother's death. Suffocating, Iris spirals out of control and copes by losing herself in sexual oblivion. She leaves her steady, Gary, for a steady stream of one night stands in the arms of mysterious strangers, alienating Gary, Rose, her friends, and her employers in the process. Will this go on until she loses everything that is meaningful to her?

---

Plot Keywords:

golden shower | feminist film | sister | best friend | casual sex | 

---

Taglines:

Your body betrays your soul.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A flor de piel

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Film Institute (BFI),Channel Four Television,Strange Dog Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Adler based her ideas for the script on forensic psychiatrist Estela Weldon's book "Mother Madonna Whore" which argues that, whereas men externalize their grieving processes through anger, women internalize them via paths which can incorporate such extreme reactions as mutilation and promiscuity.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Iris Kelly: [voice-over] When I was small my mother was everything to me. I thought she was beautiful, and I wanted to be like her. I used to try and smile, walk and talk just like her; I even practiced laughing like she did. My mother loved flowers, and her favourite flowers were roses. And so she called my sister Rose. And she called me Iris.

---

Connections

Featured in A Bigger Picture: A Look at the British Film Industry of the 90's (2006)

---

Soundtracks

SO DEEP IS THE NIGHT
Written by Mario Melfi, Sonny Miller
Performed by The Castle Singers

User Reviews

Stunning Performance by Samantha Morton

Although I missed about the first 20 minutes of this when I saw it recently on HBO, I thought it was a very interesting film, with a brave, stunning, sexual performance by Samantha Morton. Quite a departure from her role on Jane Eyre, where I had seen her previously.

The sexuality was real and intense, and her desperation as a woman spinning out of control was effective and touching.

Some of the best acting I've seen in quite a while. And I liked the "out there" eroticism aspect of the film. True eroticism is not portrayed well in movies anymore, at least not in the US, basically because the studios lack guts.

And I liked the fact that the film was written and directed by a woman. The scene where she has phone sex with her lover and tells him what she wants to do to him is stunning, only a woman could have written that! A man would have shied away from depicting a woman's sexuality in such a frank and aggressive manner.