Mysterious Skin Review by Jessica Film Junkie (4 Stars)

Mysterious Skin Review by Jessica Film Junkie (4 Stars) | MatchFlick

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Movie Details

All Movie Info

Directed By
Gregg Araki

Written By:
Gregg Araki

Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Bill Sage, Jeffrey Licon, Lisa Long, Elizabeth Shue, Lisa Long

Mysterious Skin (2005)

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Movie Review by Jessica Film Junkie
March 5th, 2007

The New Tom Hanks

Upon reading the reviews of this film I have been shocked that critics en masse seem to be agreeing that they never saw this coming from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. They write him off as a former sitcom star ('3rd Rock From the Sun') who has gotten lucky in a role.

I, on the other hand, compare him to Ryan Gosling and Tom Hanks. Both Gosling and Hanks started out as the "funny" guy on average sitcoms and then made a "breakthrough" into dramatic acting. Hanks was, of course, on 'Bosom Buddies' for a couple of years and then splashed around in comedy and romance until 1993's 'Philadelphia' and is now regarded as the best American actor of his generation. Gosling was , of course if you are Canadian and under 30, on 'Breaker High' and then herculated (doesn't quite work the same does it?) around until 2001's 'The Believer' and is now regarded as his generation's James Dean.

If you ever watched '3rd Rock From the Sun' you would know that Gordon-Levitt's character was the oldest alien living in the youngest body and the acting leaps he took with the character. You would know not to underestimate his talent and you would hope he was given more scripts instead of calling him lucky.

'Mysterious Skin' is a film about 2 young boys who are sexually molested by their little league coach and then grow up to be very different men. One boy (Gordon-Levitt) becomes a hustler and owns his reality of abuse as a sort of early relationship as he was attracted to the coach. The other boy (Brady Corbet playing very opposite to his c*cksure brother in 'Thirteen') subconciously blocked out the events and mistakes them for an alien abduction. The boys need one another to answer their own questions about the past and their eventual collision is a bleeding scene of emotion.

The performances in this film are its core, the script drags in parts and the cinematography is nothing new. The supporting cast of Elizabeth Shue (as a needy mother, she is essential to any cast and is underused by Hollywood. 'Leaving Las Vegas'), Michelle Trachtenberg (returning to the potential she showed on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' after a foray into Disney) and Bill Sage as the charming coach who seems like just an average fun dude until the moment. Also very notable is Chase Ellison as the 8-year-old version of Gordon-Levitt's character. This is an amazing child actor with a face that kills you with the unknowing truth of what is happening to him.

This is a disturbing, but important film. In these times of underage child abuse being swept under the carpets by church and state, it opens your eyes to the irreversable effects.

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