A lot of reviewers here and elsewhere will feel the need, for obvious reasons, to go through the conventional pieties about abuse, but this is not some conventional "issues" film. You're not supposed to watch it and leave the theatre and then write a sternly worded letter to the editor of the local paper or send a donation to a charity group. It is called "Mysterious Skin," right? This movie looks at the ambiguities of our inner and outer selves, and at our confused or unconfident sexuality, our "mysterious skin." There may be victims here, and there may be victims here who play more of a role in their own victimization, while others are more "innocent," but, often, bad things don't just happen to people out of the blue, but because of character flaws and inner needs and drives.
As always, Gordon-Levitt is a very brave actor, and his acting is very raw.
This is a beautiful movie to watch--visually sophisticated, and with erotic and comedic elements that let you know this is a Gregg Araki film.
As always, Gordon-Levitt is a very brave actor, and his acting is very raw.
This is a beautiful movie to watch--visually sophisticated, and with erotic and comedic elements that let you know this is a Gregg Araki film.