Christian Siegel’s review published on Letterboxd:
“Under the Skin” is no slight movie fare, and it’s most definitely not for everyone. I, however, found it absolutely stunning. Despite the fact that I’ve seen it twice now, I’m still a little reluctant to talk about it in too much detail. “Under the Skin” is not simply a movie, it’s art… and like every piece of art it works a little bit like a mirror. What you see in it depends greatly with what you bring to it. “Under the Skin” is a movie where very little is plainly stated and/or explained. It’s also more about mood and invoking certain feelings than it is about plot. And it’s also full of symbolism. Thus, it’s a movie that exalts the imagination of the viewer, and opens itself up for interpretation. And I don’t really feel like forcing my thoughts unto you. But let me just say this: The way I see it, Scarlett Johanssons unnamed character, after being drawn into our world, slowly starts to find her humanity. Feel free to disagree.
Without giving too much away, let me talk about a couple of scenes that really stuck with me. First: Those great sequences with the trap. I know that it will probably be too fucked up and weird for many, but I found those scenes to be visually stunning. Then there’s the moment where the baby’s crying at the shore, which gave me chills and really made me feel uncomfortable. And I also loved the scene where Scarlet Johanssons character stumbles and falls down – and that’s all I’m going to say about it. At first, you may think it’s funny, or you may not get why she’s doing what she’s doing, but I thought it was absolutely great, and made perfect sense. I also love the way the movie kinda put’s us in her position, being stuck in the van with her, listening to this human beings, and often don’t understanding a single word they’re saying (because of the heavy scottish accents). That was really clever. There are many more notable and memorable scenes, but since I would have to go into spoiler territory for them, let me just say that pretty much everything about the last 30 minutes or so was absolutely incredible.
Visually, this movie offers many stunning sequences. Jonathan Glazer definitely has an eye for beautiful, haunting images. The score by Mica Levi is also absolutely perfect for the movie, and extremely important for it’s disquieting mood. Scarlet Johansson is also great in this. She really seems like an alien being. Her cold, distant stare, how she switches emotions on and off, her sometimes bewildered expressions… just perfect. The only thing that keeps me from giving this the highest score right away is that the beginning of the movie really is a little slow (many would argue that the whole movie is slow and pointless, but I couldn’t agree less). However, I do believe that it gets stronger and more intense with every passing minute, and the climax is incredibly thrilling. I love the way the movie ends, and found the last couple of images especially haunting. It’s a movie that will stay with me for a long time, and that I will revisit frequently. A stunning, mesmerizing piece of art that has to be seen – even if you end up hating it.