Review of Mysterious Skin (2005) by Rocknblues 8 — 15 Jul 2010
These types of child abuse films are to me what horror films are to most people. Even though I wasn't abused as a child, the pain children must go through hits harder with me than any horror movie made. The loss of innocence, and a kids life being tragically altered before he even really begins is a hard thing to watch onscreen even though you know it's one of the many harsh realities of the world.
Mysterious Skin is a film that would be sugar coated by many. But it's amazing what good direction and a good script can do. Most of the violence and abuse is is suggestive, but due to the direction and the performances by the fairly young cast it still delivers as a harsh coming of age tale about kids that grow into teenagers while having different takes on a tragic event that has probably scared them for the rest of their lives.
There are some powerful scenes here. In one scene, the female friend of the main character of Neil boards a bus for New York and you can tell it greatly effects Neil. As the friend says in one scene "Neil has a black hole where most peoples heart is" but it's painful to watch that black hole widen with her departure. The final scene where Neil and childhood friend meet to discuss the tragic events of a childhood experience is truly gripping and it's one of the most powerful scenes I've seen in any film from the last decade or more.
8/10.
This review of Mysterious Skin (2005) was written by Rocknblues 8 on 15 Jul 2010.
Mysterious Skin has generally received very positive reviews.
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