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Mysterious Skin

2004

Gregg Araki

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Elisabeth Shue ...

7.2

6,170

Drama. Mystery When he was eight, Brian Lackey woke up in the crawlspace behind his house with his nose bleeding, with no idea how of he got there. After that, his life is different; he is afraid of the dark, wets the bed and is plagued by terrible nightmares. Now 18, Brian believes that he was abducted by aliens. Neil McCormick is the ultimate beautiful outsider, the boy everyone loves from afar but is afraid of when they get too close. Also 18, Neil ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"A complex and challenging emotional experience. It's not simplistic (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"The sad trajectory of Gordon-Levitt's character in 'Mysterious Skin' may be the most powerful material in Araki's career, handled with a maturity and lyricism that's a long way from his crudely provocative early films."
		Philip French The Guardian	"Revealing and deeply affecting and both leading actors are first-rate."
		Rex Reed The New York Observer	"Controversial, illuminating, deeply affecting and highly recommended"
		Desson Thomson The Washington Post	"An ingenious, dark metaphor out of extraterrestrial visitation (...) While watching this movie, I scribbled the word 'whoa' five times into my notebook."
		Mick LaSalle SFGATE	"The movie lingers in the mind, and there are things in it that only make complete sense upon reflection (...) This is a serious piece of work that's even better the next day."
		David Rooney Variety	"Araki delivers his most challenging and arguably most mature film."
		Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly	"[It] dawdles more than it flows, but it comes alive whenever Araki, hovering between tragedy and voyeurism, reveals how sex can tear lives to pieces."
		Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"There is a terrible, terrifying honesty at the core of Mysterious Skin that will make it chillingly recognizable to some viewers and important to recognize for others."
		Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times	"It's hard to imagine a more serious or persuasive indictment of the horrors inflicted on children by sexual abuse."

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