Under the Skin

2013 Directed by Jonathan Glazer

A seductive alien prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.

Scarlett Johansson Kryštof Hádek Paul Brannigan Michael Moreland Scott Dymond Jeremy McWilliams Lynsey Taylor Mackay Antonia Campbell-Hughes Dougie McConnell Kevin McAlinden D. Meade Andrew Gorman Joe Szula Roy Armstrong Alison Chand Ben Mills Oscar Mills Lee Fanning Marius Bincu Stephen Horn May Mewes Gerry Goodfellow Dave Acton Jessica Mance Adam Pearson

Alternative Titles

皮下之慌, Під шкірою, Pobud v moey Shkure, Pod skóra, Bajo la piel, Pod kožou, 언더 더 스킨

drama science fiction thriller

108 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by James Haves 39

What.
What?
I don't get it.
So?
I don't get it.
At least give it a rating.
But I don't get it.
Was it good?
Yes.
Would you recommend it?
I don't know.
How does that work?
I don't know.
What?
What?
Just give it 2 1/2 or something.
I can't.
Why?
Because it's good.
Then what's the issue?
I don't know.
For fuck's sake.
I don't understand it. It confused me.
Just your plebian mind.
Fuck you.
Fuck you.
You know this whole review is entirely self-indulgent, right?
Yep.
So why are we doing it?
Only thing we could think of.
Oh yeah.
Also we're attention whores who like likes.
That's true.
Want pizza?
Sure.
Review by Adam Cook 82

Fuck knows.
Review by Adam Cook 93

It is rare for me to finish a film and be unable to form any real opinion on it. Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, loosely based on Michel Faber’s novel of the same name, is a film that deliberately defies easy understanding. It is a befuddling, enigmatic and contradictory work that demands total engagement from its audience as it avoids all the trappings of a conventional movie. Yet after I left the theatre, both impressed and disappointed, I have been unable to shake the film from my thoughts.
It is a film of surprising contrasts - it is simultaneously mesmerising yet tedious, surreal yet mundane, erotic yet sterile. It is this internal conflict that makes the film so difficult to…
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★½ 7

Never in a million years did I think a movie that would make me contemplate my existence would also have Darude - Sandstorm in it.
Review by DirkH ★★★★★ 30

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I love it when a straightforward story gets a unique treatment. Glazer's film is deliberately alienating, visually and aurally arresting and singularly engaging. I say the latter with no small amount of reserve as it asks a lot of its audience making it difficult to click with. But click with it I did.
Glazer opens with the birth of Johansson's character. In a beautiful visual sequence, we hear her find her voice followed by a rather disconcerting scene in which she clothes herself. Disconcerting because of the compete lack of empathy for the dead girl she is plucking her new wardrobe from. Against a sterile white background we see her clinically do what needs to be done. She gives the…
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★★ 72

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

*THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW*
To be honest, I don't think that I have ever gone to see a movie in theatres twice before... not even some of my other favorite films. But after I went to go see Under the Skin last night, I knew that I had to see it again, and I knew that it had to happen immediately. So I went.
I can now safely say that I think this is one of the greatest films ever made, and most certainly one of the very greatest films of the past few years. It's not for everyone, but if you want to watch an abstract film with an incredible amount of social commentary, this one…
Review by davidehrlich ★★★★½ 5

(aka The Woman Who Fell to Earth aka Post Tenebras Fucks): absolutely epic. the rare film that feels genuinely new, even while borrowing liberally from its influences. among other things, one of the cinema's most deeply empathetic portraits of loneliness.
Review by Todd Gaines ★★★★ 59

ScarJo cruisin' the hills of Scotland and channeling her inner Natasha Henstridge in Jonathan Glazer's incredibly unique one-of-a-kind viewing experience. Motorcycle zoom zoom. ScarJo naked? Hooker high heels. Ants. The way ScarJo looks in her jeans. Red lipstick makes you more fuckable. Minivan cruisin'. Disorganized directions. You should always buckle up for safety. Lonely guy. Chatty chap. Seductive strip. Disappearing wang. Ocean waves. Wetsuit chum. Lifesaver. ScarJo's jacket. Getting hit in the head with a rock fuckin' hurts. Crying baby. Clubbin' for some lovin'. Leprechaun sounding gent. Sexy backwards walk. Weird as fuck faces. Sideways cock. Fade to what the fuckin' fuck fuck fuckin'? Red rose. ScarJo's eyes. Smart dude. Face first fall. Attack the Block rejects. Hoodie man is…
Review by niceguys ★½ 6

yeeahhhhh i'm way too dumb to understand films like this so i'm gonna go watch a seth rogen movie
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★½ 1

90
Anatomy of a Woman. First half is one of the greatest films in existence - composed entirely of observation, detached seduction, process, and an inaccessible yearning for empathy. That Glazer goes down the route of a discovery of appreciation for humanity - for their values, for their glimpses of kindness - only to abruptly switch and paint a fearful, violated portrait in which the interior doesn't even matter is bold to a point where I can't fully get behind it. Still, a marvel in every sense. There are images and sounds here that echo towards the cinematic heavens.
Review by Bruno ★★★★½ 26

Definitely one of the most audacious, visually stunning and touching films in recent years! Scarlett Johansson gives an outstanding performance here and it’s great to see her doing more alternative roles again. I wasn’t familiar with Jonathan Glazer’s work but I was instantly captivated by the unique story, the extravagant visuals and haunting score. Under the Skin is not only a very compelling drama that examines an emotionless alien who gradually starts to perceive how it feels to be human, but it’s also filled with several enigmatic figures throughout this journey which will make you ponder about them long after seeing the movie. In addition, there were a couple of disturbing moments and one in particular which actually made me…
Review by CinemaClown ★★★★ 39

How do you even rate a film when you sort of loved almost everything about it yet in the end have no concrete idea of what it was all about? It is quite rare in films to find yourself constantly struggling with your very own emotions, unsure of which opinion to settle with, for whenever a step is taken in either direction, something from the opposite end of the spectrum keeps bringing you back in the middle.
Under the Skin is one film that offers such unique experience. It is a mystical blend of horror, sci-fi & mystery that's easily one of the most perplexing, challenging & polarising narratives to come out in years and tells the story of a mysterious woman…

Recent reviews

Review by Andrew Thannen ★★★★★

Hands-down the most original idea for an alien-invasion film I've ever seen.
Review by lesleyj ½

Never given any answers and just way too much reaching to be artsy by staying way longer on unnecessary scenes
Review by allyfinkbeiner

😀☝️

😐✊
Review by zona 💞✨🌈 ★★★★

it's actually just a documentary of what happened when they let scarlett johansson loose on the streets of glasgow
Review by Andrew McDonald ★★★★★

Well then
Review by CinemaIsLife ★★★½

Not a big fan of slow films but this one was overall pretty good. Some scenes were just still to the point where I had to check several times if the film was buffering.
Review by wrems ★★★

every star you give this film raises your IQ by five points
Review by Santiago Obeziuk ★★★

La película en si no me convenció mucho, pero Scarlett suma puntos siempre.
Review by Loïc Tindemans ★★★★

In love with the cinematography of this one. The vibe reminds me of Enemy w Jake Gyllenhaal.
Review by Daniel Charchuk ★★★★★

"Do you want to look at me?"
Review by ellie ★★★★★

beautiful mindfuck of a film
Review by scott marvel ★★½

A strange, mysterious, young woman seduces men into her van and then some black abyss. Her events as a human lead her to self discovery. It’s a very odd, strange, alien story. The score, cinematography, and special effects are pretty cool. Unfortunately for me that’s where it stopped. It’s a slow burn that never really pays off.