Vivarium, or Await Further Instructions. AFI because I personally loved the old-school practical effects feel of it. Vivarium for the undiluted wierdness of it all. Honorable mention to The Tommyknockers for Nostalgia, and Color Out of Space for Nick Cage, the man is like an alien all by himself just living his life.
Memoria, at the moment - saw it recently. Tilda Swinton is amazing in it. Although it definitely is an exploration of much wider topics than just aliens (I think it explores alienation, fear of the other and feeling out of place). It's a fantastically calm, slow and reflective film. It uses audiovisual storytelling too, with amplified ambient sounds and strange noises which seem to just be a part of the surrounding environment.
It’s very difficult to name a favorite, but I recently rewatched “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and was reminded again of how much more realistic that movie deals with how the world would react to aliens trying to make contact with us. I’ve seen many videos on it, snd read many breakdowns over the years, yet very few ever mention how the aliens treat us humans in the film. They are quite literally kidnapping people, and either keeping them alive longer than they would’ve lived otherwise, or and/or displacing them from the time they were abducted. In the end it seems like a happy finale, with humans getting on the ship to report back at a future time. The technology the aliens display is so beyond any scientist’s, or even military person’s mind, that there is no discussion of attacking them. The humans who go onto the ship at the end were pre-selected, as they all have visions, or a pull to the destination of where the ship will land. They have no free will, as we see a man lose interest, then leave his family, as if this calling is more important than anything he’s ever known. They abduct the child with a violence that is terrifying, regardless of the fact they didn’t hurt him or the mother. They weren’t going to bring him back to her, just as the pilot, and others from different eras, weren’t brought back. They just drop them off, without a word, to be taken care of by humans. It’s really quite terrifying. The jubilation of realizing the music is how they’re communicating, completely makes people forget that these aliens are imposing their will upon us, without any care for any damage to individuals they’ve done. I just think there is a darker story there, that Spielberg may or may not have intended, or even though about, because we never really know what has been done to the abductees, or what will be done to those chosen, who are leaving everything and everyone they allegedly cared for behind. How many of them even say goodbye to their families? Why were the others taken against their will? I just began seeing the movie differently, as I got older.
This is the ONE! My favorite alien movie for sure. If I start it up to have playing while I'm doing stuff around the house, I end up sitting and watching the whole thing. I am compelled by the visuals and sounds from the get-go. Hypnotized. It draws me in and I don't want it to end. When I first saw it, my thought at the end was, "finally." I mean I felt relief that something like this was finally made to exist. The editing is bold and more of a conscious language. Your analysis was so insightful, as usual. I was looking forward to this video of yours more than any other so far. You have helped me see more clearly what I didn't realize about this gem.
The death scenes in this are the most frightening in any recent movie I can think of. Genuinely disturbing, which so many moviemakers attempt to be but rarely are. The way the men suddenly seem to have their insides sucked out gives you the feeling of life simply being ENDED, with death being immediate, perplexing and final. The sound and music are just perfect.
I just find it funny how people talk so objectively without realizing you’re spewing an opinion. Claiming not many movie makers can do something is just… silly. It’s all subjective.
Yeah and the extended interval of time where everyone knows the guy is doomed except for him. As though the siren-like seduction trance these victims become enthralled within is so absolute nothing can rouse them from it. Idk how well I'm expressing myself here but your comment briought me back there, to that first guys demise. It is SO rare to be moved much at all by a death scene in cinema. I can count on one hand how many have managed to 'get me' like this, even after watching countless creative attempts over the years.
@@TheSCPStudio OP places the “i can think of” in the comment there, it was meant to be a personal opinion and is subjective. This is honestly the weirdest straw man i’ve ever seen.
the idea that the van is almost her ufo, and thats what she uses to abduct men on the streets, and the shock of the streets and being up close to human life... it's so well handled in this film. it really tells so much of the story, just in the camera work and sound design.
I have always thought that this movie perfectly captures the feeling of having an episode of depersonalisation or derealization, and then suddenly being bombarded with total sensory overload where too many things are happening and you can't process them all.
It also reminded me of that alien feeling you feel when you try to go outside and 'live' after long term isolation or depression. Based on personal experience..
Yeah this captures a part of what it feels to be autistic sometimes. There doesn't seem to be a reason to anything anybody is doing and it almost feels like you shouldn't interact with them like you're at a zoo and watching the animals behind the glass. And the feeling of imitation rather than being a real person along with the sharp contrast between audio and visual stimulation at times almost fits too well.
The autistic perspective of the subject is interesting. But for some reason I thought more about psychopathy... I mean the lack of empathy. And the presence apathy, incomprehension, and hunger to devour humans.
Part of the movie that is so interesting to me is that perspective, it really captured the way that I and possibly many other fellow autistic view the world, it's almost like I wasn't part of human society and really feeling like "an alien/outsiders" watching human interaction as if you were watching a species documentary.
The point in which Laura discovers her own reflection is the point in which she identifies her alien existence to the world around her. This form of self-consciousness is what drives her to try and become more human: her attempts to try and eat human food, her attempts at intimacy with another man -- all of which fail due her alien body. Further in the film she starts to learn that the world can be kind, that there is more to life than to *feed*, she becomes open to vulnerability. But upon learning her inability to truly fit into human society, she flees to the woods, which inevitably leads to her death. Such like the man with neurofibromatosis, Glazer teaches us that being self-conscious in a world where you are recognized for your outside appearance (and not what's "under the skin") -- can only lead to misery. (Ultimately there's a lot I can say about this film, it's really beautifully and artistically crafted, and the sound design never fails to make me uncomfortable lol)
"being self-conscious in a world where you are recognized for your outside appearance can only lead to misery." Fantastic summation. I love how this film flips the classic misogynistic trope of the "evil temptress" who seduces men to their ruin... by making the alien the victim in the end. The creature's fatal mistake was attempting to reinvent its inner self to match the expectations of Johanson's male admirers. From that moment on, its beautiful flesh, or "the skin," ceases to be a powerful tool for manipulation, rendering the creature defenseless. By putting its defenses down the predator became the prey... suffering the tragic and violent end often met by women who are defenseless here on Earth.
If anyone enjoyed the movie, the book it’s based on is very short but delves into the alien’s purpose and backstory elegantly. The film captured the novel’s dark atmosphere perfectly.
This makes me not want to read the book to be honest. I think what makes the movie so good is that it dosent bother to explain anything to you and you just have to fill in the gaps and figure stuff out for yourself.
The scene where the group of party girls stop Laura and then drag her along with them made me laugh so much. The expression on Laura’s face is like “what did I get myself into” 😂
I thought it was kind of sweet that they didn't even question her odd behavior and just invited her in their group, probably because she was alone? I think it's pretty common for groups of women to try and protect women who are alone. I'd love it if I was out by myself, and a group of partying girls just swooped me up and took me with them to party lol.
To Laura, it's like us being invited to a cow social gathering. It's like "what the hell are you doing, you're food, you're not supposed to be this advanced".
@@leadpencil-223 I've seen it happen in real life. A woman was being harassed by a man trying to get her into his car, and two women walked up and were like "OMG THERE YOU ARE, we've been looking all over for you, why'd you disappear on us? Anyway we gotta go, nice to meet you dude" and the girl was tearfully thanking them as the girls swiftly whisked her away before the guy could do anything.
I'm not a super fan, but strangely it goes well watched back to back with The House That Jack Built. Somewhat similar filming methods, and in one we see a blabbering chauvinist serial killer, and contrary to that in the other a non-speaking "man-eating" alien.
It's far too esoteric to be underrated. It was never conceived as an audience friendly film for the masses. Small productions like UTS are for a very narrow audience of film goers that appreciate stories driven by oblique metaphors.
This god damn film, the best film I've ever seen, the perfect depiction of cosmic horror. I've never felt so disturbed and such anxiety after any other film, the beach scene alone is forever burned in my mind. Jonathan Glazer is a true auteur genius.
@@timonkanter368 I read so many comments such as yours. I've always wondered why I never felt anything during the beach scene. I was mourning her boots, and that's all. I am not a sociopath, but that scene puts me in the place of the alien so smoothly, I can just sit back, observe and wonder.
Scarlett Johansson always surprises me with the projects she chooses to work with, from blockbuster titles from MCU to independent and arthouse films such as Under the Skin It's a title that I recall being a visual experience, not a lot is said but a huge amount of it is just shown and the soundtrack is just a auditory masterpiece to behold
Everything you hear in this film is so entirely and vividly HUMAN, that it feels so INHUMAN to hear. I know that's fucking crazy and doesn't make sense, but it's the only way I can describe how I felt watching it for the first time.
I remember when it first released, a lot of the discussion was about how it managed to make humans going about their everyday lives seem unmistakably like aliens, almost unrecognisable from our own, subjective experience. I think it's testament to how successfully and quickly the film forces you to see through the actual alien's eyes.
This film was great. It really bothered me. It's as if it frames human life as alien in nature. It's bizarre. I've rarely experienced the feelings I did whilst watching this one. This and Vivarium are incredibly underrated.
@Geeves I've seen it 5 times at least. Each time I see different things or think I've figured another thing out. I just think it's a zoo for people so the aliens can learn and better assimilate. It's just a complicated game.
I studied this film at school, and have had the privilege of being able to digest it over the past 4 years, and yet even in spite of this I never thought about how restricted the sound design is to her perspective, or how Glazer opts against including the alien and her subjects in the same shot, only to then subvert that precedent in that one two-shot. This was a great video that helped me to appreciate what sets this film apart even more.
When i saw this movie i was intrigued but left with many questions, that lead me to read the book and was blown away by it. I highly recommend the book.
The book is way inferior to the film. I was disapointed when I read it. The Dog People aliens described in the book and all the detail of their motives take away all the moody mystery of the film that doesnt attempt to explain itself.
Hey, I live in a van so this film resonates for me in different ways. A similar feeling to when I move my entire life through the streets of a new town/city looking for a place to park for the night. Passers by are probably oblivious, but to me seem vigilant because of my arrival. When the curtains are closed, I can only hear the muffled conversations of passers by and can barely make out a word. I'm strangely detached from the world just outside the van. All that said, I don't peel the skin off dudes. Not yet, anyway.
I'm so glad I randomly decided to check this movie out a few years ago. Such a hidden gem. Your analysis was entertaining and insightful as always, dude.
What happened to Johnathan Glazer ? We need him back, I love this film so much. Saw it in the cinema when it came out and I was speechless for about 5 hours after.
@@toddpinkstonisgod I just checked at random through the history channels on telly - it's Hitler all the way down. Nazi this, Hitler that, Holocaust this, Himmler that. It's relentless. Absolutely sick of it. It's a religion at this point.
Every time you analysis a movie the enjoyment I have for it is enhanced two fold. Another note, your choice of music is always so good I cannot help but to want to buy the soundtrack
That friggin beach scene set my maternal instincts into overdrive and it is the sole reason why, despite loving this film, I will never watch it again.
Right? The leitmotif of the abduction/predatory violin strings weaving their way through the score in that unsettling, unearthly way, seeping back in at the end when Laura herself is being hunted....pure brilliance.
Glad I happened across this. Scarlett Johansson's trilogy of "questioning" movies, including Jonze's "Her" and Besson's "Lucy," as well as "Under The Skin," are indeed fascinating. Glazer really does otherworldliness better than most, bringing a new level of acting chops out of Johansson. You could make an argument for Sofia Coppola doing something similar in "Lost In Translation," but the focal point is Bill Murray's character, who is "out of place" and how he reacts to his environment, rather than Johansson herself. Plus this film informs much of why directors like Nolan and Villeneuve use similar visual language, and why Alex Garland used the juxtaposition of nature and human artifice in "Ex Machina." With Glazer's sensitive direction, Scarlett Johansson is more than just another ingenue or muse, as if she ever was in the first place, she's a collaborator and contributor to that visual language. She's one of my favourite actors, and "Under The Skin" especially, lingers in the consciousness.
I like the focus on eyes in this movie, if you know film making you know giving the eye an eye light makes the actor look more alive, now notice how they deliberately remove Scarlett Johansson's eyelight in some scenes to make her look more alien.
Under the Skin is good old science fiction, back to the old school. A cunning way of getting Scarlett Johansson to get her kit off under the pretense of it being a "dark and mysterious" story about somethingaratherwhatsit - oldest trick in the book. Good job!!!
I watched an extraordinary interpretation of this film and was like, ok, I now fully understand this movie. But then, out of curiosity I watched this one, and I’m so delighted I did. I appreciate this type of in-depth analysis!
Why why why was this film not a massive hit ? This film is perfect. Take all your Aliens and Star Wars , it was this film that truly made me feel alien. I'd love to know what made Scarlett choose this project.
I really love the approach of ‘disturbing’ the audience by exploring a film from a non-human alien perspective, by undoing the basic assumptions and narrative requirements we have as a social primate species that relies on linear gradual ‘character development’.
I watched this movie on an ultra HD tv using my AirPods Pro ear buds. Hearing the subtle sound differences like when the guys were floating naked or the muted sound in the white room. Man, rewatch with good headphones. You’ll like it that much more.
Okay ,you dissected this film eloquently . One of the most weirdest movies I’ve seen in a while especially the whole thing is about a murderous alien being that even the sounds and the lack of is very strange and off putting that left me with more questions than answers like what were they doing with the men were they food , fuel or more disguises for future abductions? But it was a very unforgettable movie. I need a back story on what part of where these creatures came from and what caused them to come here, this would be interesting to see.
Classic example of less is more. The book sounded fun to me and the ending was interesting but this movie is successfully one of the creepiest films ever cause it leaves it up to your imagination to figure everything out. And the the open ending, will that failed mission make them move to a different planet cause the handler couldn’t find her? Who knows but that race is fuckin terrifying.
I've never quite understood the movie at all but it's always stayed with me. Such a gem. It was so mesmerising the first time I watched it. And when we first learnt what they were doing with the guys she lured, that was not unexpected but still shocking. Thank you for helping me make some sense. I agree I was mesmerised along with the alien to discover what it was to live like a human.
The soundtrack in this film has to be the absolute goat of its genre. Can't think of any other soundtrack that makes your breath stop and heart beat irregularly quite like this film's does.
This is indeed quite an interesting movie, like a bizarre 1 hour something long Björk vidéo, if the analogy serves… it takes us on a journey of exploration, of discovery of the different kinds of fears that may lie deep within us, unnoticed, and silent… watching this film took me in a meditative like vision at times. It presents another kind of terror that is not always present in the human psyche, in a conscious state, since we take everything for granted. It is aggressively contemplative and eerie at times. It achieves making you feel the silence and the void of nothingness, the abandonment and the meaningless desire of saving that which is beyond our control, a silence that provides the overpowering sensation of not being able to feel the life running under your skin, that the world around you crushed you under the passing time. I’m sure we have all felt like aliens in our own planet every once in a while. This movie is unique, since it makes you feel the unknown danger lurking anywhere around the next corner, behind the eyes of the incognito and the unintelligible chatter of people in public places, where anyone can be the predated or the predator, unknowingly, and makes you witness the vain fleeting moments of human passion, the tremors of the uncontrollable, in both physical and emotional dimensions, and then, we have the juxtaposed incomprehensible power of the untamed nature that roars with or without expecting eyes on earth as background. All this combined made this film a future cult gem for the aficionados of the genre.
for me, this film is about being a neurodivergent. i didn't know it has a name and what it was back when i first watched the film, all i knew was i felt like this alien all the time. as in, you experience everything differently from other people, ordinary things can be so strange to you, loud noises and crowd upset you, people feel strange to you, and you don't really know how to connect and communicate with others, and then there's all the maskings and self isolating to protect yourself and fit in a strange world. Also, i think the beach scene is a reference to the "Tragedy by the Sea" photo that won a Pulitzer in 1955. It's a photo of a distressing couple on a beach realizing that they have just lost their baby to the waves. The photographer didn't know the full story until later, when got the prize he was still detached from the tragedy like this alien.
Loved the video! I wanted to make a recommendation since you seem to like to cover Gaspar Noe’s films, his favorite of mine ever is Climax. I think visually, structurally and technically it’s his masterpiece. (So far, he could make something I like better in the future.) I’d love to see a long in depth review of the film, especially about its cinematography which I think is just pure art. It’s also the one film of his that truly gives me a sick, anxiety type of feeling in the second half. It’s one of my favorite films ever and I just wanted to throw out the recommendation. Love your videos!
love this picture. saw it many times. i can talk about it forever but it seems i will never find right words to describe it. it's truly out of this world
You make the best analysis videos. Genuinely love them. Because of your vivarium breakdown I had a realization Of the coherent nature it shares with cube 1994, both kinda have a nihilistic look at society, there is no way out. there is no point. there is no big brother. love you breakdowns
Stanley Kubrick style directing all the way. I have to see it. Im buying this film for sure. Glazer does exactly what Kubrick does he makes you see things vicariously through your main character. Just like Malcom McDowell in Clockwork Orange.
It's quite different from the book and is altogether driven by the meagre budget constraints and amazing sound design. The film feels more alien, etherial and otherworldly, especially the way the humans are processed. Excellent film.
Not sure I agree with your take on the ending (on it's own I would perhaps but with the context of the scene before...) but glad to have found out this thing exists! And you pointed out some things I missed (wrt the opening and the Survivor)
Jonathan Glazer may be the closest we have to a living Kubrick. Few films at long intervals: Sexy Beast (2000), Birth (2004), Under the Skin (2013), The Zone of Interest (upcoming), a similar interest in subject matter, photographic framing, soundtracks, a similar icy tone leavened only by wry humor. I've now seen Under the Skin four times, and each time it retains its impact. It actually became a litmus test for whether I'd pay much attention to critics other picks of films of the last decade.
Thanks for posting this. I watched the film soon after viewing this, and gotta say-it gives a sma sense of relatability, the inherent juxtaposition of being human, all the while accepting the fundamentals of reality as though they make any sense. Every experience for Laura is a wonder: if not a wonder, a strange new sight to hold in memory. Eyes that see a shop front as bewildering: a tongue that cannot ascertain the palette of a cake: the interior of a car as safe windows to the outward space that is human existence. A comedian make a joke once: "nothing makes any sense! We're on a _planet_ right now. You think you're in America? Zoom out!" This film illustrates existential dread as not dreadful, but-curious. Love your content. Keep it up.
This video helped me to understand the movie better. I watched 'under the skin' twice just trying to figure it out. I found it more disturbing than anything. I can't decide which is worse: the European "non-ending" which leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. Or the american "sappy, happy ending" which lies by implication with the neatly tied up everythings that try vainly to satisfy everyone.
9:02 this is what being younger and not wanting to be around kids is kinda like. They’re just kinda noise until they can talk and express their thoughts without copying you
god the similarities in her behavior while alone and mine are too much. Aside from the killing of the men in that black goo ive never related more to a character in a movie than this and the way i feel when im in the city or when im in the wilderness. what is it to be human? what are we? what am i?
I like how we have a word for alien or abnormal things when we would look abnormal or alien to what we would call aliens. And this just makes me ask, what is normal?
What's YOUR favourite ALIEN film?
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Vivarium, or Await Further Instructions. AFI because I personally loved the old-school practical effects feel of it. Vivarium for the undiluted wierdness of it all.
Honorable mention to The Tommyknockers for Nostalgia, and Color Out of Space for Nick Cage, the man is like an alien all by himself just living his life.
Memoria, at the moment - saw it recently. Tilda Swinton is amazing in it. Although it definitely is an exploration of much wider topics than just aliens (I think it explores alienation, fear of the other and feeling out of place). It's a fantastically calm, slow and reflective film. It uses audiovisual storytelling too, with amplified ambient sounds and strange noises which seem to just be a part of the surrounding environment.
It’s very difficult to name a favorite, but I recently rewatched “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and was reminded again of how much more realistic that movie deals with how the world would react to aliens trying to make contact with us.
I’ve seen many videos on it, snd read many breakdowns over the years, yet very few ever mention how the aliens treat us humans in the film.
They are quite literally kidnapping people, and either keeping them alive longer than they would’ve lived otherwise, or and/or displacing them from the time they were abducted.
In the end it seems like a happy finale, with humans getting on the ship to report back at a future time.
The technology the aliens display is so beyond any scientist’s, or even military person’s mind, that there is no discussion of attacking them.
The humans who go onto the ship at the end were pre-selected, as they all have visions, or a pull to the destination of where the ship will land. They have no free will, as we see a man lose interest, then leave his family, as if this calling is more important than anything he’s ever known. They abduct the child with a violence that is terrifying, regardless of the fact they didn’t hurt him or the mother. They weren’t going to bring him back to her, just as the pilot, and others from different eras, weren’t brought back. They just drop them off, without a word, to be taken care of by humans.
It’s really quite terrifying. The jubilation of realizing the music is how they’re communicating, completely makes people forget that these aliens are imposing their will upon us, without any care for any damage to individuals they’ve done.
I just think there is a darker story there, that Spielberg may or may not have intended, or even though about, because we never really know what has been done to the abductees, or what will be done to those chosen, who are leaving everything and everyone they allegedly cared for behind. How many of them even say goodbye to their families?
Why were the others taken against their will?
I just began seeing the movie differently, as I got older.
This is the ONE! My favorite alien movie for sure. If I start it up to have playing while I'm doing stuff around the house, I end up sitting and watching the whole thing. I am compelled by the visuals and sounds from the get-go. Hypnotized. It draws me in and I don't want it to end. When I first saw it, my thought at the end was, "finally." I mean I felt relief that something like this was finally made to exist. The editing is bold and more of a conscious language. Your analysis was so insightful, as usual. I was looking forward to this video of yours more than any other so far. You have helped me see more clearly what I didn't realize about this gem.
well, Alien.
The death scenes in this are the most frightening in any recent movie I can think of. Genuinely disturbing, which so many moviemakers attempt to be but rarely are. The way the men suddenly seem to have their insides sucked out gives you the feeling of life simply being ENDED, with death being immediate, perplexing and final. The sound and music are just perfect.
I just find it funny how people talk so objectively without realizing you’re spewing an opinion. Claiming not many movie makers can do something is just… silly. It’s all subjective.
Agreed. Those stayed with me for a long time afterward. When I rewatched I had to look away knowing what was coming and how much it affected me.
Yeah and the extended interval of time where everyone knows the guy is doomed except for him. As though the siren-like seduction trance these victims become enthralled within is so absolute nothing can rouse them from it.
Idk how well I'm expressing myself here but your comment briought me back there, to that first guys demise. It is SO rare to be moved much at all by a death scene in cinema. I can count on one hand how many have managed to 'get me' like this, even after watching countless creative attempts over the years.
@@TheSCPStudio OP places the “i can think of” in the comment there, it was meant to be a personal opinion and is subjective. This is honestly the weirdest straw man i’ve ever seen.
@@TheSCPStudio the phrase meant was “a feeling few movie makers elicit from me, and others like me”
the idea that the van is almost her ufo, and thats what she uses to abduct men on the streets, and the shock of the streets and being up close to human life... it's so well handled in this film. it really tells so much of the story, just in the camera work and sound design.
yeah instead of a UFO its IDO (identified driving object)
"I DO ",hmmmmm i wonder if we just unlocked a hidden code in the movie together unintentionally
I have always thought that this movie perfectly captures the feeling of having an episode of depersonalisation or derealization, and then suddenly being bombarded with total sensory overload where too many things are happening and you can't process them all.
It also reminded me of that alien feeling you feel when you try to go outside and 'live' after long term isolation or depression. Based on personal experience..
Yeah this captures a part of what it feels to be autistic sometimes. There doesn't seem to be a reason to anything anybody is doing and it almost feels like you shouldn't interact with them like you're at a zoo and watching the animals behind the glass. And the feeling of imitation rather than being a real person along with the sharp contrast between audio and visual stimulation at times almost fits too well.
The autistic perspective of the subject is interesting.
But for some reason I thought more about psychopathy... I mean the lack of empathy. And the presence apathy, incomprehension, and hunger to devour humans.
Part of the movie that is so interesting to me is that perspective, it really captured the way that I and possibly many other fellow autistic view the world, it's almost like I wasn't part of human society and really feeling like "an alien/outsiders" watching human interaction as if you were watching a species documentary.
The point in which Laura discovers her own reflection is the point in which she identifies her alien existence to the world around her. This form of self-consciousness is what drives her to try and become more human: her attempts to try and eat human food, her attempts at intimacy with another man -- all of which fail due her alien body. Further in the film she starts to learn that the world can be kind, that there is more to life than to *feed*, she becomes open to vulnerability. But upon learning her inability to truly fit into human society, she flees to the woods, which inevitably leads to her death.
Such like the man with neurofibromatosis, Glazer teaches us that being self-conscious in a world where you are recognized for your outside appearance (and not what's "under the skin") -- can only lead to misery.
(Ultimately there's a lot I can say about this film, it's really beautifully and artistically crafted, and the sound design never fails to make me uncomfortable lol)
So basically despite being advanced enough to travel space, they’re just creatures of instinct at the end of the day?
"being self-conscious in a world where you are recognized for your outside appearance can only lead to misery."
Fantastic summation. I love how this film flips the classic misogynistic trope of the "evil temptress" who seduces men to their ruin... by making the alien the victim in the end. The creature's fatal mistake was attempting to reinvent its inner self to match the expectations of Johanson's male admirers. From that moment on, its beautiful flesh, or "the skin," ceases to be a powerful tool for manipulation, rendering the creature defenseless. By putting its defenses down the predator became the prey... suffering the tragic and violent end often met by women who are defenseless here on Earth.
If anyone enjoyed the movie, the book it’s based on is very short but delves into the alien’s purpose and backstory elegantly. The film captured the novel’s dark atmosphere perfectly.
The film is way way more sophisticated than the book. I was really disapointed when I read the novel, its no masterpiece.
@@harveydean7952 I totally agree. The movie is great, the book is 'don't waste your time'
This is one of those rare cases where the film is actually better than the book.
I could do with some “don’t waste your time and get to the lore”
This makes me not want to read the book to be honest. I think what makes the movie so good is that it dosent bother to explain anything to you and you just have to fill in the gaps and figure stuff out for yourself.
The scene where the group of party girls stop Laura and then drag her along with them made me laugh so much. The expression on Laura’s face is like “what did I get myself into” 😂
I thought it was kind of sweet that they didn't even question her odd behavior and just invited her in their group, probably because she was alone? I think it's pretty common for groups of women to try and protect women who are alone. I'd love it if I was out by myself, and a group of partying girls just swooped me up and took me with them to party lol.
To Laura, it's like us being invited to a cow social gathering. It's like "what the hell are you doing, you're food, you're not supposed to be this advanced".
@@leadpencil-223 I've seen it happen in real life. A woman was being harassed by a man trying to get her into his car, and two women walked up and were like "OMG THERE YOU ARE, we've been looking all over for you, why'd you disappear on us? Anyway we gotta go, nice to meet you dude" and the girl was tearfully thanking them as the girls swiftly whisked her away before the guy could do anything.
@@leadpencil-223 yes agreed!
@@leadpencil-223Aye that's Scots for you
God I love this film. It even feels like it was directed by an alien. One of the most criminally underrated SF films this decade.
You’re not wrong, outstanding film!
I'm not a super fan, but strangely it goes well watched back to back with The House That Jack Built. Somewhat similar filming methods, and in one we see a blabbering chauvinist serial killer, and contrary to that in the other a non-speaking "man-eating" alien.
It's far too esoteric to be underrated. It was never conceived as an audience friendly film for the masses. Small productions like UTS are for a very narrow audience of film goers that appreciate stories driven by oblique metaphors.
criminally...
@@johnnyfavorite1194 it's only for clever people, am I right?
This god damn film, the best film I've ever seen, the perfect depiction of cosmic horror. I've never felt so disturbed and such anxiety after any other film, the beach scene alone is forever burned in my mind. Jonathan Glazer is a true auteur genius.
I couldn't bare the baby on that beach.
@@timonkanter368 I read so many comments such as yours. I've always wondered why I never felt anything during the beach scene. I was mourning her boots, and that's all. I am not a sociopath, but that scene puts me in the place of the alien so smoothly, I can just sit back, observe and wonder.
aLIEn = beLIEve 🤔🤫
@@ThePitchblue what are the triggers that you are sensitive to? I can't hear/watch children in distress.
@@keatherel8587 Yes words are made up of letters, some of those letters are the same lol
Scarlett Johansson always surprises me with the projects she chooses to work with, from blockbuster titles from MCU to independent and arthouse films such as Under the Skin
It's a title that I recall being a visual experience, not a lot is said but a huge amount of it is just shown and the soundtrack is just a auditory masterpiece to behold
Everything you hear in this film is so entirely and vividly HUMAN, that it feels so INHUMAN to hear. I know that's fucking crazy and doesn't make sense, but it's the only way I can describe how I felt watching it for the first time.
That's a quite accurate description I would say.
It has alot of uncanny valley moments for sure.
I remember when it first released, a lot of the discussion was about how it managed to make humans going about their everyday lives seem unmistakably like aliens, almost unrecognisable from our own, subjective experience. I think it's testament to how successfully and quickly the film forces you to see through the actual alien's eyes.
beLIEve
You described it perfectly. The film shows what humanity actually is and not what humanity wants itself to be.
Another example of quality over quantity.
This film was great. It really bothered me. It's as if it frames human life as alien in nature. It's bizarre. I've rarely experienced the feelings I did whilst watching this one. This and Vivarium are incredibly underrated.
@Geeves I've seen it 5 times at least. Each time I see different things or think I've figured another thing out. I just think it's a zoo for people so the aliens can learn and better assimilate. It's just a complicated game.
I studied this film at school, and have had the privilege of being able to digest it over the past 4 years, and yet even in spite of this I never thought about how restricted the sound design is to her perspective, or how Glazer opts against including the alien and her subjects in the same shot, only to then subvert that precedent in that one two-shot. This was a great video that helped me to appreciate what sets this film apart even more.
This one is in my top 5 all-time favorites. It's an absolute masterpiece that just gets better with repeated viewings, IMO.
In my opinion, this is a perfect film. It’s severely underrated and under-appreciated. I love it so much! Great video man!!
When i saw this movie i was intrigued but left with many questions, that lead me to read the book and was blown away by it. I highly recommend the book.
Omg thank you for posting this I just bought it!! So excited fuck yeah dude
Is the book title the same?
@@davetinoco Yes. Its "under the skin" by Michel Faber.
The book is way inferior to the film. I was disapointed when I read it. The Dog People aliens described in the book and all the detail of their motives take away all the moody mystery of the film that doesnt attempt to explain itself.
@@harveydean7952 Completely agree there. The plot of the book is so over used it isn't even funny
Hey, I live in a van so this film resonates for me in different ways.
A similar feeling to when I move my entire life through the streets of a new town/city looking for a place to park for the night. Passers by are probably oblivious, but to me seem vigilant because of my arrival.
When the curtains are closed, I can only hear the muffled conversations of passers by and can barely make out a word. I'm strangely detached from the world just outside the van.
All that said, I don't peel the skin off dudes. Not yet, anyway.
Interesting, how long have you been staying in your van Scoob?😄
I'm so glad I randomly decided to check this movie out a few years ago. Such a hidden gem. Your analysis was entertaining and insightful as always, dude.
What happened to Johnathan Glazer ? We need him back, I love this film so much. Saw it in the cinema when it came out and I was speechless for about 5 hours after.
He’s made a WWII/Holocaust-related film that should be coming out within the next year or so.
@@toddpinkstonisgod Dammit...
I'll skip that one.
@@ThunderChunky101 oh…ok. Why?
@@toddpinkstonisgod I just checked at random through the history channels on telly - it's Hitler all the way down.
Nazi this, Hitler that, Holocaust this, Himmler that.
It's relentless.
Absolutely sick of it.
It's a religion at this point.
@@ThunderChunky101what’s wrong with that?
Every time you analysis a movie the enjoyment I have for it is enhanced two fold.
Another note, your choice of music is always so good I cannot help but to want to buy the soundtrack
That friggin beach scene set my maternal instincts into overdrive and it is the sole reason why, despite loving this film, I will never watch it again.
Mica Levi did an unbelievably good job on the score
Right? The leitmotif of the abduction/predatory violin strings weaving their way through the score in that unsettling, unearthly way, seeping back in at the end when Laura herself is being hunted....pure brilliance.
Glad I happened across this. Scarlett Johansson's trilogy of "questioning" movies, including Jonze's "Her" and Besson's "Lucy," as well as "Under The Skin," are indeed fascinating. Glazer really does otherworldliness better than most, bringing a new level of acting chops out of Johansson. You could make an argument for Sofia Coppola doing something similar in "Lost In Translation," but the focal point is Bill Murray's character, who is "out of place" and how he reacts to his environment, rather than Johansson herself. Plus this film informs much of why directors like Nolan and Villeneuve use similar visual language, and why Alex Garland used the juxtaposition of nature and human artifice in "Ex Machina." With Glazer's sensitive direction, Scarlett Johansson is more than just another ingenue or muse, as if she ever was in the first place, she's a collaborator and contributor to that visual language. She's one of my favourite actors, and "Under The Skin" especially, lingers in the consciousness.
I like the focus on eyes in this movie, if you know film making you know giving the eye an eye light makes the actor look more alive, now notice how they deliberately remove Scarlett Johansson's eyelight in some scenes to make her look more alien.
Oh, true!
Mica Levis score is probably one of my favorites of all time
Under the Skin is good old science fiction, back to the old school. A cunning way of getting Scarlett Johansson to get her kit off under the pretense of it being a "dark and mysterious" story about somethingaratherwhatsit - oldest trick in the book. Good job!!!
Revisiting Jonathan Glazer's filmography after the masterpiece that is Zone of Interest.
I love the soundtrack. I play a lot of interesting soundtracks when I paint.
I absolutely love this movie. I watched it randomly one day when i was bored and it blew my mind
I love this film. The atmosphere and sound design are insane, along with the unique visuals and sparse storytelling. It really stands on its own
I watched an extraordinary interpretation of this film and was like, ok, I now fully understand this movie. But then, out of curiosity I watched this one, and I’m so delighted I did. I appreciate this type of in-depth analysis!
Another masterpiece from Spikima! Man this is about to be a good evening spent!
The movie perfectly describes how it feels to experience dissociation attack. The whole world feels so alien.
I couldn't explain why this movie was a masterpiece but I could feel it even during my first watch
This film is a visual landmark, and an instant classic.
Yes thank you for doing under the skin !!! I recommended it on one of your last videos 😁
That recommendation certainly played a part ;)
MY FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME !
Why why why was this film not a massive hit ?
This film is perfect.
Take all your Aliens and Star Wars , it was this film that truly made me feel alien.
I'd love to know what made Scarlett choose this project.
Because it's a bit of an artsy movie with a pretty vague story, most audiences will probably not like it because of that.
And the arrival?
That's my favorite movie
I really love the approach of ‘disturbing’ the audience by exploring a film from a non-human alien perspective, by undoing the basic assumptions and narrative requirements we have as a social primate species that relies on linear gradual ‘character development’.
This is the 'Rosemary's Baby' of the '20s. I recommend this film to anyone who likes SF, and I still think this is SJ's best work
This was a beautiful dissection of this, very interesting movie.
Thank you.
I watched this movie on an ultra HD tv using my AirPods Pro ear buds. Hearing the subtle sound differences like when the guys were floating naked or the muted sound in the white room. Man, rewatch with good headphones. You’ll like it that much more.
One of my 10 favourite films of all time!
I did love the book, but I think this is one of the very rare examples where I actually find the film even more incredible.
the scene with the crying toddler on the beach broke me. i turned it off after that.
I think this is the best film of last decade.
your style analysis is always so amazing!
Okay ,you dissected this film eloquently . One of the most weirdest movies I’ve seen in a while especially the whole thing is about a murderous alien being that even the sounds and the lack of is very strange and off putting that left me with more questions than answers like what were they doing with the men were they food , fuel or more disguises for future abductions? But it was a very unforgettable movie. I need a back story on what part of where these creatures came from and what caused them to come here, this would be interesting to see.
there's a book that was written first that explains everything
Mark fisher devoted a chapter to this movie in his book “the weird and the eerie”, I suggest a reading of it to gain more understanding of the film.
Classic example of less is more. The book sounded fun to me and the ending was interesting but this movie is successfully one of the creepiest films ever cause it leaves it up to your imagination to figure everything out. And the the open ending, will that failed mission make them move to a different planet cause the handler couldn’t find her? Who knows but that race is fuckin terrifying.
I've never quite understood the movie at all but it's always stayed with me. Such a gem. It was so mesmerising the first time I watched it. And when we first learnt what they were doing with the guys she lured, that was not unexpected but still shocking. Thank you for helping me make some sense. I agree I was mesmerised along with the alien to discover what it was to live like a human.
The soundtrack in this film has to be the absolute goat of its genre. Can't think of any other soundtrack that makes your breath stop and heart beat irregularly quite like this film's does.
Babe wake up Spikima Movies posted
This is indeed quite an interesting movie, like a bizarre 1 hour something long Björk vidéo, if the analogy serves… it takes us on a journey of exploration, of discovery of the different kinds of fears that may lie deep within us, unnoticed, and silent… watching this film took me in a meditative like vision at times. It presents another kind of terror that is not always present in the human psyche, in a conscious state, since we take everything for granted. It is aggressively contemplative and eerie at times. It achieves making you feel the silence and the void of nothingness, the abandonment and the meaningless desire of saving that which is beyond our control, a silence that provides the overpowering sensation of not being able to feel the life running under your skin, that the world around you crushed you under the passing time. I’m sure we have all felt like aliens in our own planet every once in a while. This movie is unique, since it makes you feel the unknown danger lurking anywhere around the next corner, behind the eyes of the incognito and the unintelligible chatter of people in public places, where anyone can be the predated or the predator, unknowingly, and makes you witness the vain fleeting moments of human passion, the tremors of the uncontrollable, in both physical and emotional dimensions, and then, we have the juxtaposed incomprehensible power of the untamed nature that roars with or without expecting eyes on earth as background. All this combined made this film a future cult gem for the aficionados of the genre.
for me, this film is about being a neurodivergent. i didn't know it has a name and what it was back when i first watched the film, all i knew was i felt like this alien all the time. as in, you experience everything differently from other people, ordinary things can be so strange to you, loud noises and crowd upset you, people feel strange to you, and you don't really know how to connect and communicate with others, and then there's all the maskings and self isolating to protect yourself and fit in a strange world.
Also, i think the beach scene is a reference to the "Tragedy by the Sea" photo that won a Pulitzer in 1955. It's a photo of a distressing couple on a beach realizing that they have just lost their baby to the waves. The photographer didn't know the full story until later, when got the prize he was still detached from the tragedy like this alien.
I REALLY liked this film. Total immersion, complete fear.
Loved the video! I wanted to make a recommendation since you seem to like to cover Gaspar Noe’s films, his favorite of mine ever is Climax. I think visually, structurally and technically it’s his masterpiece. (So far, he could make something I like better in the future.) I’d love to see a long in depth review of the film, especially about its cinematography which I think is just pure art. It’s also the one film of his that truly gives me a sick, anxiety type of feeling in the second half. It’s one of my favorite films ever and I just wanted to throw out the recommendation. Love your videos!
Great essay as always
Just watched this movie last week. Perfect timing
An absolute masterpiece.
love this picture. saw it many times. i can talk about it forever but it seems i will never find right words to describe it. it's truly out of this world
This movie doesn’t get the respect it deserves
You make the best analysis videos. Genuinely love them. Because of your vivarium breakdown I had a realization Of the coherent nature it shares with cube 1994, both kinda have a nihilistic look at society, there is no way out. there is no point. there is no big brother. love you breakdowns
Stanley Kubrick style directing all the way. I have to see it. Im buying this film for sure. Glazer does exactly what Kubrick does he makes you see things vicariously through your main character. Just like Malcom McDowell in Clockwork Orange.
It's quite different from the book and is altogether driven by the meagre budget constraints and amazing sound design. The film feels more alien, etherial and otherworldly, especially the way the humans are processed. Excellent film.
This was an underrated movie.
It also showed the climate of Scotland.
Top Notch quality as always. Keep up the amazing work
This was filmed in my city. Watching it was somewhat distracting to me because of this. This vid helped me appreciate it a lot more!
no me getting all excited realising it was shot in Glasgow and seeing my home, but then through this lense is so cool
I love your choice in music for all the scenes.
My favorite part would be the skin part.❤
Not sure I agree with your take on the ending (on it's own I would perhaps but with the context of the scene before...) but glad to have found out this thing exists! And you pointed out some things I missed (wrt the opening and the Survivor)
Absolutely terrified me when I first saw that scene at 8:17
Hell yeah I was like 😮 wtf!
Your the best,dude!!
And it's SJ's birthday (Nov. 23rd, 2023)! 🎉
Greatest sci-film since 2001.
Jonathan Glazer may be the closest we have to a living Kubrick. Few films at long intervals: Sexy Beast (2000), Birth (2004), Under the Skin (2013), The Zone of Interest (upcoming), a similar interest in subject matter, photographic framing, soundtracks, a similar icy tone leavened only by wry humor.
I've now seen Under the Skin four times, and each time it retains its impact. It actually became a litmus test for whether I'd pay much attention to critics other picks of films of the last decade.
Thanks for posting this. I watched the film soon after viewing this, and gotta say-it gives a sma sense of relatability, the inherent juxtaposition of being human, all the while accepting the fundamentals of reality as though they make any sense. Every experience for Laura is a wonder: if not a wonder, a strange new sight to hold in memory. Eyes that see a shop front as bewildering: a tongue that cannot ascertain the palette of a cake: the interior of a car as safe windows to the outward space that is human existence. A comedian make a joke once: "nothing makes any sense! We're on a _planet_ right now. You think you're in America? Zoom out!" This film illustrates existential dread as not dreadful, but-curious. Love your content. Keep it up.
This video helped me to understand the movie better. I watched 'under the skin' twice just trying to figure it out. I found it more disturbing than anything. I can't decide which is worse: the European "non-ending" which leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. Or the american "sappy, happy ending" which lies by implication with the neatly tied up everythings that try vainly to satisfy everyone.
Dude. Please keep making videos forever.
9:02 that fckn scene haunts me to this day
i would say annihilation is the most alien creature i've ever seen in a film,
but this is an awesome film
Excellent review and introspection into one of my all time favorite films. Thank you!
the score lives in my mind rent free
9:02 this is what being younger and not wanting to be around kids is kinda like.
They’re just kinda noise until they can talk and express their thoughts without copying you
Under the skin is about aliens visiting earth in fact. The title also might be the best thing about this film.
This is what happened to those on board the Titan submersible... 💀 🌊
I love this film. the ending is just as beautiful as in the book.
This is probably my favorite role of Scarlet’s next to her in Jojo Rabbit
Love your videos, they always stay with me. Always looking forward to your next one!
god the similarities in her behavior while alone and mine are too much. Aside from the killing of the men in that black goo ive never related more to a character in a movie than this and the way i feel when im in the city or when im in the wilderness. what is it to be human? what are we? what am i?
The only problem I have with you is I have to pause and go watch the films before I finish your videos lmao
This wat im thinkin of.
Include Ghost Story and Hagazussa
What a great movie...This movie reminds me of a lovechild between Hellraiser 1 and Xtro(1981),
Haha. Xtro, when that girl gives birth to a pile of spaghetti?? Classic cheese horror.
Great stuff. I really need you to do a video on HOLD THE DARK (2018), it's so underappreciated.
I like how we have a word for alien or abnormal things when we would look abnormal or alien to what we would call aliens. And this just makes me ask, what is normal?
Fantastic film. Loved your video as well.
Great movie and great soundtrack has that Kubrick feel to it and I wonder what the “Under Thd Skin” TV show will be like when it comes out
just came across your site (with great analysis) while trying to find a reference to an under the skin inspiration from Chris Cunnigham's Flex