Under the Skin (2013)

A mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

Walter Campbell, Jonathan Glazer

Stars:

Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 24 wins & 107 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scarlett Johansson	...	The Female
Jeremy McWilliams	...	The Bad Man
Lynsey Taylor Mackay	...	The Dead Woman
Dougie McConnell	...	Pick-Up Man
Kevin McAlinden	...	First Victim
D. Meade	...	Leering Man
Andrew Gorman	...	Second Victim
Joe Szula	...	Man at Club
Krystof Hádek	...	The Swimmer (as Krystof Hadek)
Roy Armstrong	...	Father at Beach
Alison Chand	...	Mother at Beach
Ben Mills	...	The Baby
Oscar Mills	...	The Baby
Lee Fanning	...	Motorcyclist #1
Paul Brannigan	...	Andrew

Storyline

An alien entity inhabits the earthly form of a young woman who combs the roads and streets of Scotland in search of the human prey she came to plunder. She seduces her isolated and forsaken male victims into an otherworldly dimension where they are stripped and consumed. However, existence in all its complexity begin to change the alien visitor. She begins to discover herself as human with tragic and terrifying consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | alien | desire | human prey | scotland | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic nudity, sexual content, some violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Made with the support of the BFI Film Fund.

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Goofs

When Laura is walking down the street before she trips, you can see reflections of a crew member in a high-vis vest helping the camera follow her down the street.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Female Voice: [with a mechanical buzz over shadowy morphing orbs] T- D, S- Z- Th, B- T- V, H- T- D- K- G, S- Z- P- B, Ba-Ba- T- T, K- Kuh- Ch, Th- V- Th, Zzz- Sss- Bzz- Ch, B-B-Buh- V-V-Vuh, G-G-Guh D-D-Duh.
Female Voice: [now over a shiney white torus, slowly morphing] B-B-Buh- B-B-Buh, B-B-Beh, B-B-Beh, Bah, N-N-Nuh- N-N-Nuh, N-N-Nuh- No. N-N-Nuh, F- Feel- Field, Fill- Filled- Filts, Foil- Failed- Fell, Felds- Pill- Pills, Pall- Nall.
Female Voice: [now over a watery chestnut-brown eye] Foal- Foals, Fold- Fold, Pool- Pool, ...

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Crazy Credits

None of the characters are named in the closing credits: the cast-list is only a list of actors' names.

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Connections

Featured in Renegade Cut: Under the Skin (2014)

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Soundtracks

Real Gone Kid
Performed by Deacon Blue
Written by Ricky Ross
Published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd.
Licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

User Reviews

Someone kept pausing the film....no wait they didn't.

I would like to start by saying i am a fan of films that are "different". I don't need a million gunshots or explosions to entertain me. I am not set on good guy vs bad guy and good guy winning. I like thought provoking films; i enjoy them much more than the soul sucking films that are manufactured on a daily basis. So i was intrigued by this one. The trailer was dark and seemed full of suspense. The critics had made bold comparisons with Stanley Kubrick, which in itself is a massive compliment. And as someone who lives in Scotland it had a little sentiment to it.

But for me it was dull. Every time i thought it was going to pick up the pace, it decelerated. It was so slow it may as well have been going backwards. There are far too many scenes that are prolonged. I am fully aware of its intention to focus on aesthetically driven scenes. But 5/6 seconds is enough to appreciate it, not 10/15 seconds. At some points i thought the reel had maybe stuck and was expecting a CineWorld employee to come pacing round the corner to explain that there was something wrong. It just pauses at points that don't need that much attention. I am also aware of the symbolic nature the film carries. It is clearly a film you need to look further to understand it in more depth. That is fine; i welcome that, but the problem is that it does this without conviction. I don't need to see the masses of drunkards who swarm Sauchiehall Street 20 times. What is the purpose? To let us know that we, as people, blindly walk through life intoxicated not appreciating the finer things in life? That Under the skin we are empty? I assume that is a candidate for its meaning.

Scarlett Johansson doesn't have a lot to do in this film; basically make small talk and get naked, all the while with a plain face. And considering how ridiculous the Scottish actors are made to look, maybe she is due some credit for maintaining that straight face. There are a few things that bug me however; like she can walk down your average staircase, but panics with a spiral staircase. There is a definite point to this film, but with the layout, with there being no real culmination, no real explanation, it leaves you feeling you have been robbed of a film that could have been more. Could have told a better story. And for any Americans who watch, not all Scottish people talk like that, or wear horrible purple shirts, unnecessarily tucking them into our over elevated jeans. We don't all support Hibs and when a van is parked not all of us will gang up and try to break into the van. So feel free to visit. It is a nice place after all. Although the film had some stunning scenes and promotes Scotland visually, it doesn't exactly put the people in a great light.

I wanted to enjoy this film, but i couldn't. I wanted to agree with comparisons with Kubrick, but i certainly won't. You can throw arguments of it was beautifully crafted or had symbolic serenity, but at the end of the day it is slow, uneventful and lacked culmination.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK Switzerland

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

Under the Skin

Filming Locations:

Tantallon Castle, Auldhame, East Lothian, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$133,154, 6 April 2014

Gross USA:

$2,614,251

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,735,963

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, British Film Institute (BFI), Silver Reel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1