15 Most Disturbing Sci-Fi Movies
2. Under The Skin
Told entirely from the alien’s perspective, the disturbing nature of Under the Skin is in its total absence of humanity. This in turn leads to an ambiguity in the film, which is equally unsettling. As events unfold from the alien’s perspective, we are often unsure exactly what is going on, because her logic is not our logic, her motivations do not tally with ours.
Ostensibly a story of murder and female vulnerability; on a closer look we see the story of a person out of place, who has no apparent malice, but also has no understanding of how things work in a place she doesn’t understand. Any crime she commits seems unintentional and her feelings towards it neutral. In her lost state, she is preyed upon, but because she makes no sense in her setting, because she is totally alien, the roles of assailant and victim are reversed and it is she who hurts those who prey upon her.
Scarlett Johansson seems an unlikely choice for an alien without identity, but she nails this quietly creepy performance. Under The Skin is a thoughtful and provoking piece of film, which leaves us confused, uncomfortable and disturbed.