More of a sensorial experience rather than a traditional narrative film is what Jonathan Glazer provide us with Under the Skin, and being completely honest, even if it for sure delivers on this purely emotional aspect, a tiny bit more of attention and care on the story itself it is what is missing to go from being a really a good movie to an amazing one.

Scarlett Johansson plays an extra-terrestrial being inhabiting the skin of a female who through her looks and sex-appeal will try to lure men into his van and home where, instead of a happy ending, they will find a bitter end.

Scarlett Johansson’s sober and quiet performance matches perfectly the sense of apathy and stoicism of her character, as we navigate through it (the alien) and its virginity the state of things and attitude of people in the world. Throughout its hunt and happenings in the Scottish Highlands we will get to know various people, performed very noticeably as well as suitably by non-professional actors, who will show the various faces of human nature to our main character.

The curious thing about the picture is that this immersion into the psyche of the alien will not be through an obvious visual point of view that we will be getting it. But, instead, it will be through a great sound design and score, from Johnnie Burn and Mica Levi respectively. The continuous reverberating and resonant sound, alongside the continuous screeching strings from the score gives us the sense that, the same way the alien is inside the female’s skin, we are actually inside the alien’s head receiving ethereal inputs uncommon to our world while also feeling ourselves us strangers in our own planet.

The sound department is successfully accompanied by the visual one, thanks to the lugubrious and foggy imagery presented through fantastic photography and visual effects.

On the other side, when it comes to storytelling, script and plot development is where we find ourselves with an obvious lack of work. The story might feel in general traits, as it has also some distinctive tweaks her and there, rather repetitive, somewhat superficial, and with not enough poignant or truly relevant tipping points. Even if more attention to representing deeper traits of human nature or driving motifs to our main character actions would have meant a longer run time, it for sure feels that the good work in all technical and performing departments could have sustained this more demanding level of attention from the audience, producing after all a more profound message.

So, it is basically this underdevelopment when it comes to the writing that prevents Glazer’s film from surpassing the bar of really good movie with incredible technical work to all around great picture and more than possible an unquestionable in modern sci-fi. Still, the picture’s accomplishments and dares make it more than worthy of a look as it provides for an undoubtedly unique cinematic experience.