“I wished with all my heart that we could just leave this world behind, rise like two angels in the night and magically disappear.”
Cinemas
A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.
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Cast & crew
6What people say
strange how the greatest movies make you want to die.
So violent and so innocent. I honestly can’t remember if Araki had this many shots of characters looking directly into the camera in his other work but that choice is working stronger than ever here. What I really appreciate about this is how he’s capturing the manipulation in all forms of abuse. His use of shoegaze also does so much as far as romanticizing not these specific events but adolescence. I just felt very close to Neil by the end, as though I was one of those little moons orbiting around him. I'll never forget about this movie.
Common questions
What is Mysterious Skin about?+
A teenage hustler and a man obsessed with alien abductions separately navigate their lives until their paths cross, leading to the revelation of a shared, painful childhood event.
Who directed Mysterious Skin?+
It was directed by Gregg Araki in 2004, a figure in the New Queer Cinema movement known for his distinct visual style and exploration of disaffected youth.
Is this film suitable for all audiences?+
No, this film contains graphic and distressing themes related to childhood trauma and abuse, and is generally considered a challenging watch.
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