Sunday, May 14, 2006

DVD: Mysterious Skin

Genre: Drama
DVD released: Oct. 25, 2005
Director: Gregg Araki
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Elisabeth Shue, Michelle Trachtenberg
Verdict: &&&&

Not a movie for anyone who has delicate sensibilities or is offended by sexual themes, Mysterious Skin reveals Third Rock from the Sun's Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a tremendous dramatic actor while brilliantly blending the notion of repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse with elements of contemporary alien abduction mythology, such as nosebleeds, missing time, and visions of tall, shadowy figures. As young boys, Neil (Gordon-Levitt) and Brian (Corbet) shared a common disturbing experience as members of the same little league baseball team. Ten years later, Neil is a cold-hearted street hustler, and Brian is a slightly dorky young man who is obsessed with the idea that he was abducted by aliens. As their stories unfold separately, Brian is drawn closer to the truth and, finally, Neil, who helps him connect to a past experience even more horrifying than he imagined. There's a searing realism here that will particularly resonate with certain audiences. // DVD notes // Rather surprisingly has a dts soundtrack, but I can't recall any use of the surround channels.

1 comment:

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

This seems unusual. I will check out some reviews and keep a look out for this one.