Transcript note: This transcript is based on the original working script. It may contain production notes, draft wording, spelling mistakes or other material that differs from the finished video - these scripts were meant to be spoken, not read.

Under the Skin

There are films that entertain you, and there are films that challenge you.

And then there are films like Under the Skin.

Which - Really - Don’t seem that interested in you at all.

Some people will have you believe it’s hypnotic, unsettling or even - genius.

And - I get why.

But - Enjoying it?

Well… That’s something else entirely.

Let's take a look at what makes Under the Skin - Cult, Actually.

[intro]

Under the Skin comes to us courtesy of Jonathan Glazer, and it only really has one star - Scarlett Johansson.

The simple take on it is that it’s about a woman, driving around Scotland.

She picks up men - Talks to them - Takes them somewhere private, and then - They disappear.

There’s nothing violent or especially dramatic about any of it.

Just, gone.

There’s a recurring sequence - you see a black void - the men, or, her victims follow her - unaware of any danger - and then - they just sink beneath the surface.

And - Erased - Like they never mattered.

There’s a silent observer, they watch from a motorbike.

Watching.

Maintaining.

Cleaning up.

And. That’s pretty much all you get from it.

It’ll have you believe it’s a science fiction film - which, by definition - I guess it is.

Especially when you consider it’s based on a novel by Michel Faber.

But - Where the book gives you answers, names, and a whole lot of alien exposition… The film?

Well - It strips all of that completely away. It doesn’t really behave like a sci-fi film at all.

There isn’t any real exposition, clues as to what’s going on and it shows zero interest in making sure you’re keeping up.

What you’re left with is - Something that has been stripped right back - Cold, even.

There is little in the way of dialogue, motivation or even identity.

Watch it for long enough and you begin to realise that it's not a film with a lot of plot.

It’s more about - perspective.

It’s obvious that the character Scarlett Johansson plays isn’t human - She doesn’t even have a name, the credits just list her as “The Female”.

She’s learning and observing - And copying.

The female is very mechanical - Every conversation she has is like the first time she’s having an actual conversation.

Like it’s a learned behaviour, but she doesn’t understand what purpose it’s supposed to serve - An annoyance, even.

And then at some point - She seems to, shift.

Something changes.

She experiences - something - And - She begins to hesitate. Just a pause in her routine.

A man who should be her prey - Suddenly, isn’t.

And then, The Female, and the film - begins to unravel.

She seems to break out of the role she’s been given and once she does, it’s like a switch has been flipped.

No longer in control she begins to try and exist in a world she doesn’t really understand - Trying to be more, human.

But without knowing exactly what that means, or what she should be doing.

She, in a way - Becomes the prey - With the whole world as a predator.

The world, and humanity - They aren’t presented as being safe - Far from it.

By the time we get to the end - Almost everything has been stripped back.

The female becomes completely exposed.

How it all comes to an end isn’t shocking - It’s almost inevitable in fact.

Again - It’s not dramatic - It still feels cold.

Honestly?

I’ve never actually been able to work out if I like the film, or not.

No - Seriously - I’ve seen it a few times, looking for something in it I can - Well, like - for want of a better way of putting it.

The one thing I do know?

I respect it.

If for no other reason, the way it’s made.

A lot of the early scenes in urban Scotland - Most notably the scenes of The Female driving round in the van - were filmed using hidden cameras.

The men she stops and speaks to?

No clue they were being filmed.

Scarlett Johansson was genuinely driving around Glasgow, trying to pick up men - For all intents and purposes.

Kinda mad.

But - It does go a long way to explaining why the conversations were so awkward.

I mean - Can you imagine? - Heh.

Most of the men she speaks to aren’t actors - Just people - Like you and me.

You aren’t watching a performance as such - Just, reactions.

It’s both uncomfortable, and authentic.

The sound plays a big part in it all as well.

Actually - It’s a mix of two things. Mica Levi composed the score - Those awkward, scraping string sounds that never resolve themselves with any satisfaction.

It's incredibly unsettling.

But then there's the sound design itself and that comes to us courtesy of Johnnie Burn.

Towards the end - It changes - Not in any real obvious way - But it’s like parts of the audio track just become missing.

It’s not always obvious - Or, noticeable. It just becomes quieter.

Everything starts to feel - Well - Internal - Like you’re IN The Female.

You hear her - And not the world.

And it works, because it lines up exactly with what you’re seeing.

Or rather, what she is seeing.

Like - At the start of the film you’re watching her observe, and now we’re observing, her.

WIth all that being said - It’s kind of surprising to learn that much of it all wasn’t planned.

Even with the book as a starting point - They took that source material - And essentially, shredded it.

The script was loose - They shot a LOT of footage when they were making it.

Especially the scenes in Glasgow.

They crafted at least some of the story around the footage, picking and choosing and letting the film kind of find itself.

Which is why it feels so fragmented at times - It literally, was.

And I guess this is where it lands.

You can respect what the film is doing - Without actually enjoying watching it.

There isn’t a pay off, or even much of an explanation.

People are still trying to work out what it all means to this day.

It’s slow, and it’s distant - And for some people- That’s exactly why the whole thing works.

And, for others - It’s just - Hard work.

Under the Skin isn’t trying to be liked.

It’s trying to make you feel something -even if that feeling is discomfort, confusion… or just distance.

And whether that works for you or not…

…that’s the whole film.

And honestly? That unwillingness to meet you halfway-that's the most cult thing about it.

Anyways…

I’ve been Paul and Under The Skin is Cult, Actually.

If you’ve liked this video then do me a favour and drop me a like - Subscribe as well if you want while you’re there.

Or, not - i’m not going anywhere.

Either way - I shall hopefully catch you on the next Rewind.

Thanks for watching.