Mysterious Skin

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Mysterious Skin

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gregg Araki
Produced by Gregg Araki
Written by Scott Heim
Gregg Araki
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Brady Corbet
Michelle Trachtenberg
Elisabeth Shue
Richard Riehle
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Music by Harold Budd
Robin Guthrie
Cinematography Steve Gainer
Editing by Gregg Araki
Distributed by Strand Releasing
Release date(s) May 6, 2005
Running time 99 min.
Country Flag of the United States
Flag of the Netherlands
Language English
Budget $10 million
Gross revenue $697,181
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Mysterious Skin is a 2004 film concerning the effect of childhood sexual abuse on two boys from Hutchinson, Kansas. The film received extensive critical acclaim. The film is California filmmaker Gregg Araki's eighth, debuting at the Venice Film Festival in 2004 although it was not more widely distributed until 2005. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim.

Contents

[edit] Plot

In 1981 Kansas, 8-year-olds Neil McCormick (Chase Ellison) and Brian Lackey (George Webster) are sexually abused by their paedophiliac baseball coach (Bill Sage). Neil's promiscuous mom (Elisabeth Shue) doesn't pay any attention. Brian's parents don't realize what has happened either. Brian reacts to what happens by developing amnesia and blocking out the event, for many years suffering from violent nose bleeds. As Brian grows up he becomes a rather asexual, geekish boy, and glimpses of memories in recurring dreams make him believe he has been abducted by aliens. Neil who had been the coach's favourite boy, often helping him trick other kids into abuse situations integrates his experiences by developing an extrovert gay sexual personality turning tricks and eventually making his entire living from prostitution. When Brian (Brady Corbet) turns 19 years old, he meets Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) for the first time since childhood and they uncover the secrets they share as well as beginning to heal one another.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Awards

[edit] Controversy in Australia

The movie has been the subject of some controversy in Australia, where the Australian Family Association requested a review of its classification, seeking to have the film outlawed due to its depiction of pedophilia. They suggested that the film could be used by pedophiles for sexual gratification or to help them groom children for sexual abuse.[3] The six-member Classification Review Board voted four-to-two in favour of maintaining an R18+ rating.

[edit] Child actor protection

To protect the young actors playing the parts of the abused children, scenes with the children were shot separately from other scenes. Araki has said, “Chase and George had separate scripts from the rest of the cast”. The scenes were then later edited to give the appearance of the abuse happening to the children.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Welcome to Rather Ronge

[edit] External links

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Films directed by Gregg Araki

Three Bewildered People in the Night (1987) • The Long Weekend (1989) • The Living End (1992) • Totally Fucked Up (1993) • The Doom Generation (1995) • Nowhere (1997) • Splendor (1999) • Mysterious Skin (2004) • Smiley Face (2007)