Under the Skin (2014)

Under the Skin is a 2013 science fiction-horror art film directed by Jonathan Glazer, and written by Glazer and Walter Campbell as a loose adaptation of Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name. It was released in the UK on 14 March 2014 and the US on 4 April. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as an otherworldly seductress who preys on men in Scotland. The music was composed by Mica Levi.

Glazer developed Under the Skin for more than a decade, eventually settling on a film that takes an alien perspective of the human world. Most of the characters were played by non-actors, including road racer Jeremy McWilliams; many scenes were unscripted conversations filmed with hidden cameras on the street. It competed for the Golden Lion at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.

Despite failing to recoup its $13.3 million budget, Under the Skin received praise from critics, particularly for Johansson's performance, Glazer's direction, and Levi's score. It was named one of the best films of 2014 by many critics and received multiple accolades.

Synopsis

In Glasgow, Scotland, a motorcyclist (Jeremy McWilliams) retrieves an inert young woman (Lynsey Taylor Mackay) from the roadside and places her in the back of a van. A naked woman (Scarlett Johansson) dons her clothes, then goes to a shopping centre and buys clothes and make-up. She drives the van around Scotland, picking up men on the street. In a dilapidated house, she lures a man (Joe Szula) into a black void and he is submerged in a liquid abyss.

Actors