It’s been ten years since
Jonathan Glazer’s last film and nearly a decade and a half since his wonderful
screen début Sexy Beast. His third
film, Under the Skin, is a dark and
chilling science fiction horror, loosely based on Michael Faber’s 2000 novel of
the same name. It stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien who preys on men, using
her siren like looks and charm to pull them towards the rocks and to their
demise. The movie is incredible, at times getting close to the best I’ve seen
in cinema. It veers wildly though towards the opposite extreme with passages of
nothingness which reminded me of the torrid time I had while watching Terrence
Malick’s The Tree of Life. Extremes exist
elsewhere too with sequences which wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery
side by side with almost documentary style shooting, filmed with hidden
cameras.
The film opens with an abstract
scene, perhaps the formation of an eye or the creation of a being. It signals
birth or re-birth and sets us up for what is to come. From the very first
moments we know this is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen before and it
doesn’t disappoint in that regard. The opening establishes the link between the
known and unknown, creating tantalising glimpses into who or what we are about
to be confronted with before concluding on the recognisable image of an eye, at
first still, then moving, depicting consciousness. Although it – or she – may
well be aware of her surroundings, the alien shows no emotion regarding what
she sees. She’s a cold machine, showing not even contempt for her victims.
She’s focussed and has a singular task. In one of the film’s most horrifying
scenes, a baby is left stranded on a beach. Though screeching for help, she’s
ignored by the strange visitor who acts coldly, even blindly to the presence of
the child. As humans we want to protect and mother the infant but to the alien,
its screams don’t even register. It’s a scene that sent chills down my spine.
