Two Roads Diverged…
Monday, July 10th, 2006
I had heard good things about Mysterious Skin, and after watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Brick, who had a wonderful performance, I thought I should check out his performance in this film. Well, I’m glad I did. Once and awhile a film will come out of nowhere and affect me immensely. This was one of them.Directed by Gregg Araki and based on the book by Scott Heim, Mysterious Skin is the story of two young children who are affected in very different ways by the same traumatic event. That’s all I can tell you without giving too much away. The movie starts when the two leads are children, and goes on to show their separate lives as teenagers in their small midwest town. The children, the supporting cast, to the two leads (Joseph Gord0n-Levitt and Brady Corbet) have solid performances. In fact, one of the most interesting roles I’ve seen in a long time is in this film. The coach, played by Bill Sage, is only in the film for ten minutes, but his performance and character are so memorable that I could swear he was in it for at least 90.
Now, I’ve heard less than stellar things about director Gregg Araki’s other films and his tendency towards sensationalism and shock-tactics. Maybe, if you look at his whole oeuvre you can make that argument, but I can’t comment on that. Having seen only Mysterious Skin, however, I can tell you that he certainly brought solid, slick directing and a unique style without going overboard. Of course, there are some intense scenes. But they never seem forced.In fact, they feel like they belong. The whole film has a slow burn intensity under everything. Araki constantly has the actors in the center of the frame, looking straight at the camera. This brings about a strange sense immediacy. This is especially effective during the scenes with coach. The overall feel of the film is very slick and polished. Erie cinematography, smooth camera movements and clean framing make the film feel like it was made with a much bigger budget than it had.
Still, Araki’s screen writing is far less sophisticated than his directing. (At least in this film.) The dialog is a tad over-the-top and, well, nothing (emotionally) is really explored in depth. But that doesn’t change the fact that the movie works. Gordon-Levitt plays the gay teenaged prostitute roll perfectly. Its a very gutsy and unabashed performance. While Brady Corbet is completely believable as the troubled, asexual teenager obsessed with UFOs. The acting and directing erase the faults and make this film, at least I think, a must see.
Mysterious Skin is a challenging portrait of youth, choices, and the ability of one moment to change someone’s life. It makes me wish more filmmakers put the time and the effort into telling such powerful stories. I have to give immense credit to the producers and Gregg Araki for latching on to such controversial subject matter and giving it the respect and resources that it deserved.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:35 pm
I liked this movie a lot even though it made me sad.