Would Scarlett Johansson in a brunette wig fool you into thinking she was someone else– like maybe, wait for it, an alien? That’s the jumping off point for an intriguing, thought-provoking and sometimes frightening new film, which finds the actress driving around Scotland in a creepy van, sussing out strangers in order to lure them to her lair, where even creepier things happen to them.
The victims, as you might guess, are all single young men who have been easily coaxed into going for a ride with Johansson, who quickly goes all-out seductress on them once they get to the hiding place, a nondescript, out of the way and very dark structure where unspeakable things happen after Johansson takes off all of her clothes.
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, who gave us “Sexy Beast” and “Birth,” “Under the Skin” is based on Michel Faber’s novel that looks at the world through alien eyes, housed in a human, very hot body.
But living in that body changes the journey of the protagonist in this stunning emotional transformation where the alien becomes more and more human and seems to disavow the mission of the intergalactic corporation that employs her to harvest human muscle–and her motorcycle-riding handler and clean-up man.
And even while Johansson hauntingly portrays the protagonist, the men she victimizes are real humans, mostly of the non-actor variety. Part of the film’s conceit is its usage of real people who were on the streets of Glasgow, although several of the roadside pickups were scripted and cast– including the only victim to escape from Johansson’s clutches.
Going undercover was part of the attraction for Johansson to take the role. To prep for it, she had to learn to drive on the opposite side of the road as well as adapt a realistic British accent. which she perfected with the help of a voice coach.
“It was a kind of metamorphosis, but there was also something metaphysical about playing this character,” she says. “It’s hard to put your finger on it and that was part of the appeal for me. This is not a genre movie. It’s more along the lines of an Ingmar Bergman drama in terms of its philosophical inquiry.”
Shot both in Glasgow– small cameras were mounted in the van– and in the surrounding, rugged highlands, untamed beaches and forests, the locations were crucial to the film’s distinct visual language. Having Johansson roam the terrain without the conventional limitations of a film set gives it a sense of naturalism, while still being otherworldly.
This is not a conventionally entertaining popcorn feature like her other big one of the moment, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” But for those who enjoy innovative filmmaking– this reminded us somewhat of the spirit of Terence Malick’s” Tree of Life” – put “under the Skin” on top of the list.
–Hillary Atkin
