Review of Mysterious Skin (2005) by María C — 13 Jun 2013

This movie tears me up inside because it is so good and yet I don't think I want to watch it ever again. It's just that discomfiting... which I suppose is to its credit. At times I do think it opts for shock value where a subtler approach would have held stronger (kinda the weird tension I noticed in Requiem For A Dream as well, not that the two films are in any other way connected), but the relatability and pure interestingness of the characters, coupled with great acting on all fronts, makes it all WORK.

(In fact, it works on an honest, intimate emotional level that Requiem For A Dream doesn't quite achieve, to bring back that random comparison.) I don't think I want to watch it again, but that doesn't mean the first watch didn't leave me feeling thoroughly satisfied.