A voluptuous woman of unknown origin combs the highway in search of isolated or forsaken men, luring a succession of lost souls into an otherworldly lair
Scarlett Johansson in Under The Skin
Director Jonathan Glazer released his colourful gangster film Sexy Beast back in 2001 and followed it up by persuading Nicole Kidman to share a bath with a ten-year-old ex-husband in the psychological thriller Birth (2004).
But, incredibly, he’s needed a whole decade to deliver his third feature, with Hollywood glamour puss Scarlett Johanssen leading a film that’s quite unlike any other.
Loosely based on Michel Faber’s science-fiction novel of the same name, the usually voluptuous star plays an alien driver who talks to Scottish men on their own in a bid to offer them lifts.
Some scenes were shot for real using hidden cameras to capture unwitting participants – until they were then asked to give their permission to appear in the finished film.
Given the current macho cry for Scottish independence, the essence of what it’s like to be alone in times of need is certainly topical.
Offering a compelling, alien’s-eye view of our murky human world, Under The Skin is dark, edgy, mysterious and very strange, with the most distinctive score since There Will Be Blood chipping away at our nerves.
The atmosphere is like cinematic treacle which you could cut with a knife, building on other previous outdoor Scottish movies like Young Adam, The Last Great Wilderness, Dog Soldiers and A Lonely Place To Die.
Fresh from providing the seductive computer software voice in Her, this year’s Oscar winner for best original screenplay, Johansson again bravely offers a whole new screen persona.
Almost unrecognisable beneath a mass of curly black hair, her spine-tingling big reveal is brilliantly done, but although Glazer doesn’t rush this key sequence, he might also have made a bit more of it.
The use of smoke and mist is very clever, too, making this decidedly creepy thriller one of the most intriguing British films in years.
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