It has been half a week since I went to see Jonathan Glazer's latest film, Under the Skin, and the fact that I feel as unnerved by the feature as I did upon leaving the cinema holds implications for this as a thriller that has earned its place amongst its predecessors. Unsettling from the offset, Glazer's use of distorting close-ups place his directional style as synonymous with Stanley Kubrick's -- yet to compare the film diminishes its idiosyncratic nature. Even upon its conclusion it is hard to pinpoint exactly what has been witnessed, while the motivations behind the piece are left entirely askew. A strong element of the film's mystery certainly lay in viewing it with no prior knowledge of the plot, and so I will refrain from divulging any specific details for fear of hindering the confusion that it manages to encapsulate.
Based on Michael Farber's 2005 novel of the same name, the film stars Scarlett Johansson in a lead role that is defining of her already established career. A script that is sparse, with minimal dialogue, allows Johansson's craft as an actress to become the focal point. Each movement that is taken becomes decidedly deliberate, culminating in a performance that is alluring, threatening and vulnerable in equal measures. Complimented perfectly by a Mica Levi's soundtrack, that is unbearable to the point that it makes Lynch appear forgiving, there is a construction of scenes that end up intensely moving in their pervading emotion.
Set in Glasgow, Glazer's choice to shoot much of the film undercover on real streets strikes a fine line between the surrealist elements of the film with the reality that it simultaneously presents. Placed in an observatory position, an unexpected strangeness is manifested in seeing reality exactly as it appears. The result of being forced to view the world through the protagonist's eyes is disconcerting and proves Glazer's ability to leave the audience without a morsel of comfortability for the duration of the film. The achievement of succeeding in making our own world appear so unfamiliar to us places Under the Skin as a thriller that is certainly deserving of its genre. Through the deep exhalation that occurs upon closing and the realisation that I cannot remember the last time I took a breath, what is left is an experience that is undoubtedly altering. A dismissal of such a vital bodily function as breathing displays how Glazer somehow detaches the audience from humankind in order to create a film that is unapologetically alienating. A remorseless director, he leaves his victims alongside his characters -- suspended in darkness long after the film's conclusion.
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