Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Mysterious Skin Blu-ray Movie Review

Abyss of the Mind.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 3, 2014

Stories rarely come more uncomfortable than “Mysterious Skin.” Not only is the film’s sexuality bluntly displayed, but the tale concerns molestation and abandonment, detailed in a graphic manner that requires viewers to place their trust in the hands of writer/director Gregg Araki. A helmer not known for his sense of good taste, Araki plays this 2004 effort carefully, aware of the tonal tightrope walk the material demands as it visits places of deep-seated despair and lifelong confusion. “Mysterious Skin” contains a few flat notes of community participation, but Araki locates all the necessary surges of hopelessness and misguided desire, ending victorious in his quest to adapt Scott Heim’s provocative novel.

As a young boy in Kansas, Brian (played as an adult by Brady Corbet) can’t account for a short period of time in his life, assuming that aliens abducted him, leaving him with minor medical maladies and profound feeling of unease. Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) isn’t offered the same luxury of fantasy, recalling his time as a sexual plaything for his little league Coach (Bill Sage). Now entering adulthood, the young men take disparate paths in life, with Neil transforming himself into a male hustler, attracted to older men who happily pay for his sexual services. Brian remains fixated on his extraterrestrial connection while entering college, reaching out to Avalyn (Mary Lynn Rajskub), another abduction survivor, for answers, eventually discovering a connection to Neil. Hoping to meet his mystery man one day, Brian carries on with his life, feeling the pain of the unknown developing within. Neil, growing weary of his abrasive lifestyle, struggles to find focus, also bothered by murky events from his past.

“Mysterious Skin” submits an interesting directorial challenge, requiring Araki (“The Doom Generation,” “Smiley Face”) to take reprehensible acts of exploitation and a swell of destructive confusion and find a position of cinematic inspection that doesn’t inspire viewers to immediately lunge for the eject button. This is not an easy film to watch, exploring the insidious seduction of pedophilia and its lingering, corrosive aftermath. It’s a movie about psychological poisoning and it’s shockingly approachable, with Araki managing a sensitive tone of discovery and grief that permits the picture to inspect such monumentally horrible business and come out the other side with genuine feelings to share, communicated through the vibrations of two young men fighting their increasingly insistent inner demons.

Aided by stellar cinematography by Steve Gainer and ethereal scoring from Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie, Araki finds an honest rhythm to the piece, which works throughout the development of Neil and Brian, from boyhood to manhood. It’s atmospheric work that articulates rage well, finding Neil a potent vessel for unresolved feelings of distrust, facing a more complicated reaction to his molestation as he expresses confusion through false acts of power over his johns (exposing himself to sexual dangers as his certainty dissolves into horror). Unable to fit comfortably into the world, Neil is only beginning to comprehend what was stolen from him, while Brian spends the majority of the picture attempting to pinpoint his emptiness through research and memory. The separate journeys are compelling and resonate, but they miss a fullness of execution, watching Araki burn off supporting characters unceremoniously to preserve concentration on the lead characters.

As deeply felt as “Mysterious Skin” is, it’s lacking a parental perspective worth spending more time with. Mere background noise, the flawed guardians (including Elisabeth Shue and Chris Mulkey) feel as though they should factor into the plot, creating more of an influential presence than the mild concern and betrayal they supply here. Moments with Neil’s friends Wendy (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Eric (Jeff Licon) could also use a boost in screen time, with the latter pal factoring into both Neil and Brian’s lives as the years pass. It’s these literary demands that throttle Araki’s momentum and ultimate position of catharsis, creating divots in the narrative as it works toward a satisfying conclusion, or what passes for one when confronting unimaginable horrors and the explicit death of innocence.

Mysterious Skin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation appears to be in reasonable health for its Blu-ray debut, though the print does display some mild damage, speckling, and judder. There's also some slight filtering employed to dial down grain and preserve sharpness, which gives the picture a slightly artificial feel. Textures are available for examination, finding Araki's preference for extreme close-ups delivering a fair amount of facial detail. Interior decoration is also open for survey. Shadow detail remains steady and communicative, preserving the feature's evening encounters, and contrast holds up relatively well. Colors are appealing and pronounced, making an impression with a candied hues presented here, and skintones, which are plentiful, are natural. Although the disc doesn't submit an intensely filmic presentation, the basics are tended to without disruption.

Mysterious Skin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix generates an immersive listening experience from the get-go, with scoring efforts filling the surrounds with a gentle flow, evenly dispersed and measured. Atmospherics and crowd activity also circle the room, nicely balanced with dialogue exchanges. Holding frontally with fullness and emotion, performances are preserved to satisfaction, with a crisp read of voices. Low-end is maintained but never explosive, good for soundtrack selections. The film's delicate mood is appealingly sustained, while sharp bursts of anger don't disturb the track's consistency. Also included is an Isolated Score and Effects track for additional study.

Mysterious Skin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with director Gregg Araki and actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet is provided.

• "Conversation with Brady Corbet and Joseph Gordon-Levitt at Sundance 2014" (23:13, HD) corners the pair in a hotel room, probing the talent for memories and intentions concerning the production of "Mysterious Skin." The conversation touches on basic questions of on-set atmosphere, Araki's approach, and thespian mindset, but soon spirals off into theory and philosophy, reinforcing the warm camaraderie shared between the actors, who are refreshingly engaged in this seemingly impromptu chat.

• "Novelist Scott Heim Reflects 10 Years Later" (8:26, HD) sits down with the author, who takes a trip down memory lane, still in awe over Araki's adaptation precision. Memories from the shoot, reflection on his time with the actors (taking a trip with Gordon-Levitt to Kansas for research), and feelings about the finished picture are included.

• Script/Sketches Gallery offer 12 pages of margin doodles from the screenplay, offering a glimpse at crude storyboard ideas.

• Deleted Scenes (5:49, SD) supply an additional freak-out from Neil, a Halloween sequence from 1983, and a series of takes featuring the Coach and young Neil.

• "'Mysterious Skin' Book Reading" (54:41, SD) reunites Corbet, Gordon-Levitt, and Araki shortly after the film's release. Staging a performance of the novel, the actors tag-team the reading while the director captures the event on video. To help identify the care of the adaptation, select shots have been inserted into the footage to acclimate viewers.

• Audition Tape (8:05, SD) shares early footage of Corbet and Gordon-Levitt in action as their characters, pouring their heart out for the camera as they quest for employment.

• Photo Gallery collects 46 pictures from the production, mixing publicity shots with on-set images.

• And an International Trailer (2:03, SD) is included.

Mysterious Skin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Interestingly, I caught "Mysterious Skin" during its original theatrical run and didn't care for it. A decade and thousands of movies later, and it's a little easier to see what Araki is aiming to achieve, and his good taste in the face of unforgivable human ugliness is laudable. Even Gordon-Levitt's aggressively showy performance (not his best work, but an interesting start to his rise of credibility) feels more organic than previously considered, working beyond obvious freak-outs to find the core of a terrified boy trapped in a man's body. Perhaps "Mysterious Skin" simply requires time to settle into the system, allowing its initial toxicity to melt away, exposing a sincere inspection of loss for victims of sexual abuse and parental neglect. I'm glad this Blu-ray has provided an opportunity to revisit the work, revealing it to be Araki's finest achievement as a filmmaker.