Under the Skin

AroView: Jonathan Glazer (SEXY BEAST, BIRTH) directs screen siren Scarlett Johansson in this startlingly original sci-fi thriller about an alien seductress prowling the streets of Glasgow, Scotland.

Connecting a series of interplays between predator and prey, the narrative variously explores the volatility of sexual dynamics, and ultimately what it means to be human. While paying sly homage to the stylised cinema of Stanley Kubrick, this aesthetically and thematically competes on its own terms and, like his visionary films, will richly reward repeated viewings. For Scarlet Johansson, this is a parallel yet inverse role to that which she played in Spike Jonze’ HER, utilising her visual rather than vocal sensuality to more satisfying effect, yet never with a prurient eye.