Jonathan Glazer is one of those directors that makes the cinema experience enjoyable and challenging; he simply does projects because he wants to and no matter what kind of that project is, he always commits 100%. His past work has included everything from a couple of brilliant Guinness commercials to some pretty excellent music videos including Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out).
Glazer really put his name on the film map with a hit that seemed to come out of the blue, the clever, and on occasion, slightly threatening, Sexy Beast. Starring Ray Winstone and an unrecognisable Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast became somewhat of a cult hit after its release. Then came the controversial Birth starring Nicole Kidman and with that, Glazer was being heralded as the new Kubrick or Lynch.
That was almost ten years ago. Following Birth, Glazer seemed to disappear off the scene but now we know that it was to begin work on Under the Skin, a project which he took time to audition properly and constantly rewrite for.
Based on a book by the same name, the film follows Scarlett Johansson who plays alien Laura who has just arrived on planet Earth. Laura’s sole purpose is to drive around Glasgow picking up random men and bringing them back to her house. By house, we of course mean alien layer. Following their arrival, Laura strips and backs away from her victim. As they follow her, they wade through black water and are submerged, without an explanation.
However, after Laura picks up a victim with a facial deformity, she seems to begin to experience human emotion and feeling incredibly sorry for her victim, sets him free. Of course, she has a purpose on Earth and must flee from Glasgow before she is tracked down by those she works for. Out in the wilderness, Laura must depend on the kindness of strangers.
First off, Under the Skin is an incredibly difficult and uncomfortable watch and there are a couple of scenes here which will not exactly sit well with an audience. In order to display just how much of an alien Laura is, Glazer must place her in situations where she is obviously inhuman. One of these particular scenes is not an easy watch.
Secondly, Scarlett Johansson is spectacular in the role as the alien. Completely emotionless in the scenes where she is that alien being concentrating on a task, she switches very quickly to sweetness and delight in order to pick her victims. This is being heralded as one of her iconic roles, and it most certainly is; this is her finest role to date.
The film’s location also serves to make the subject matter a little more interesting. Usually with alien films, they tend to take place in America, big cities or urban areas but setting an alien film in Scotland is a stroke of genius. The original setting from the book was Scotland, but Glazer insisted the film would also take place there, and with good reason. The men Laura encounters are not actors, they are literally men Scarlett Johansson picked up off the street. They were only told of the filming process after the fact. On top of that, the stark wilderness and terrible weather only serves the story well.
Yes, this is for the most part incredibly uncomfortable, eerie and in some parts, frightening but is certainly worth the watch. This is like if Lynch made an alien film… in Scotland.
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