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Movies / On DVD / Mysterious Skin
Mysterious Skin

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Mysterious Skin (2005)

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Reviews Counted:261

Fresh:241

Rotten:20

Average Rating:8.0/10

Consensus: Bold performances and sensitive, spot-on direction make watching this difficult tale of trauma and abuse a thought-provoking, resonant experience.

Rated: 18

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:20-05-2005

Synopsis: In MYSTERIOUS SKIN, an unlikely director takes on an even more unlikely lead actor and crafts a deeply felt coming-of-age tale that pulsates with the scalding beauty of tragedy. The director, Gregg... In MYSTERIOUS SKIN, an unlikely director takes on an even more unlikely lead actor and crafts a deeply felt coming-of-age tale that pulsates with the scalding beauty of tragedy. The director, Gregg Araki, whose over-the-top gay melodramas have been criticized as largely empty provocations, proves himself here to have great sensitivity. Yet it is the lead actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, best known for his work on the alien sitcom THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, whose unforgettable, nuanced performance makes the film. Based on the novel by Scott Heim, the story follows two teenage boys living in small-town Kansas: Brian (Brady Corbet), a clunky and awkward fellow with no discernable social life; and Neil (Gordon-Levitt), a rebellious gay youth whose fragile beauty and cruel indifference make him a successful hustler to the area's older men. Having suffered from blackouts as a child, Brian believes that these voids were actually alien abductions, and goes on a quest to confirm this. As his memories become increasingly vivid, Brian convinces himself that Neil, the star player on his childhood Little League team and a regular presence in his dreams, knows the truth. Neil does, in fact, know exactly what happened: the boys were sexually abused by their Little League coach. While Brian has suppressed the incident, Neil has held it deep within him like a treasure, considering it to have been a loving relationship of respect and tenderness, the absence of which has left him emotionally empty. The two strands of narrative are braided together elegantly, slowly leading up to a devastating final scene. Araki unifies the stories through an elegiac, celestial tone that manages to avoid preachiness via doses of appropriate humor. MYSTERIOUS SKIN is so profoundly alive with sadness and beauty that it nearly burns. [More]

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jeffrey Licon

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jeffrey Licon, Bill Sage

Director: Gregg Araki

Director: Gregg Araki
Screenwriter: Gregg Araki
Producer: Jeff Levy-Hinte, Mary Jane Skalski
Composer: Harold Budd, Robin Guthrie
Studio: TLA Releasing

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Kirk V.11/29/09
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Isara11/27/09
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Gregg Araki has created what has to be one of the most powerful looks into adolescence and more... More
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Victor R.11/6/09
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Brian C.11/3/09
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I'm still shaking from the ending of this film. In my opinion, the final scene is one of the most... More
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Metallus J.10/31/09
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Jade10/29/09
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Very depressing, but very powerful. Great adaptation of the book. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is... More
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Cassandra A.10/28/09
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Dan D.10/27/09
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Stefany10/27/09
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I'll start off by saying, this film is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. There is no gore,... More
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Reilly J.10/14/09
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Aiden R.10/7/09
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VERDICT:3/10 Mixed MessagesThis had been on my Netflix queue for what seems like ages now and,... More
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Ibad S.10/4/09
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Chris S.10/3/09
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Greggiboy9/28/09
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A very powerful film, Mysterious Skin stayed with me for days after I first watched it. The... More
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