MysteriousSkin

2005 • 105 minute

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Director Gregg Araki’s MYSTERIOUS SKIN, adapted from Scott Heim’s acclaimed novel, is an intensely powerful chronicle of childhood innocence lost. The film features starmaking turns from Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Looper, The Dark Knight Rises) and Brady Corbet (Thirteen) alongside outstanding performances from co-stars Michelle Trachtenberg (Eurotrip, Ice Princess), Mary Lynn Rajskub (TV’s 24) and Academy Award® nominee Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas). At the age of eight, Kansas youngsters Neil and Brian played on the same little league baseball team. Now, ten years later, the two boys couldn’t be more different. Neil is a charismatic but emotionally aloof male hustler while Brian is a nervous introvert obsessed with the idea that he has been abducted by a UFO. When the boys’ parallel lives inevitably intersect, the pair unearth dark, repressed secrets on a harrowing and unforgettable journey of self-discovery.

Graderings en resensies

I rented this movie a few years ago from an LGBT library collection. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excellent in this role. The music is eerie, story line slightly awkward, but overall a great coming of age film. I recommend to 1st timers, seeking to "understand" the gay lifestyle or relate to a family member.

This movie is not for the faint of heart, which I never considered myself to be anyway. This movie ripped my heart from my chest and stomped on it. It was so shocking but even more sickening to think that occurrences like those seen in MysteriousSkin are not uncommon for people in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as children. Movies like this are difficult for me to wrap my head around because it is borderline pornographic in the most appalling way. I knew it would break my heart, it succeeded.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's beautifully shot, entrancing, and thrilling. Unafraid to tackle some of the most mature subject matter there is, Mysterious Skin delicately weaves two separate stories together into a conclusion that left me sobbing. Seriously. Sobbing. Not some, "Oh a few tears," kind of cry. Sobbing. This picture is a masterpiece of cinema that should not be missed.