Review of Mysterious Skin (2005) by Dylan V — 30 Nov 2009

Holy mother of God is this one intense and emotionally charged experience. Not one part of this movie is easy to watch, and it grabs a hold of you and tears your heart out over the course of the movie. This movie cements my belief that Joseph Gordon Levitt is the most talented performer in my age group, and is destined to pull in some Academy Awards over time.

This movie is about two boys who grow up in the same town, but never really know each other. One is sexually molested by his baseball coach as an 8 year old. this turns him into a homosexual later in life, who becomes a male prostitute, and seems to have no emotional attachments at all. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is fantastic, beyond great in this role. As he just embodies the character, and is completely compelling every step of the way. Basically McCormick just goes through life empty, and sexual experiences mean nothing to him, the only person who ever made him feel special was his baseball coach.

The other story, though less compelling, is bleakly interesting, as one boy believes he was abducted by aliens as a child, and still has nose bleeds from the experience. If you have any intuition you'll see the end coming, but that doesn't stop it from being completely enthralling every step of the way, and this side of the story is a good break from the drama of the other story.

This movie challenges sexuality and childhood, and is both subtly poignant and completely unrestrained. There is a lot of violent sexual scenes, that will shock and horrify you, but even though both characters have so much wrong with them, you can't help but love and feel for them both. An exquisite indie find, something I recommend everyone run out to see.