What an utter piece of crap.
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jmiller1918 — 9 years ago(October 01, 2016 07:57 AM)
Well said, famouserik.
The story is quite simple, really- alienation, the extremes of cruelty and kindness that can be found amongst various human beings.
I think the scene where SJ is sitting in the van and some young punks attempt to get at her is one of the turning points few people mention- she then felt what it was like to be a victim instead of a predator. By the end of the film, she was fully traumatized and fearful of the park ranger guy (if that's what he was).
The film did succeed, at a few points, in giving you the idea of observing the human race like an alien visitor might do.
I usually like slow-moving, meditative films. But this one wasn't enjoyable for me. I began to get a little put out with it, to be honest. I grew very weary of the interior shots in the van, for instance.
When the deformed chap showed up, I expected SJ to have a change of heart. And she did. Predictable? Well, it was for me. Perhaps not for others.
She knew well how to converse, but said almost nothing to the "good guy" from the bus. Why? Was she already too traumatized at that point? She actually seems to be in a downward spiral after releasing "deformed guy". Perhaps because she knew she would be hunted down by her "keepers" on the motorcycles. Or maybe it was an existential crisis provoked by her sympathy for "deformed guy".
I "get" why people who like this do. I've been on the side of defending films a lot of people thought were boring. This one, perhaps because of visual aesthetics, didn't move me or even engage me a great deal. It may really be a matter of taste; I can't say UTS is a bad film. It has its merits (very good score that was genuinely creepy).
Overall, I like your summary the best of those I've read here. -
YuunofYork — 9 years ago(November 11, 2016 12:17 PM)
I usually like slow-moving, meditative films. But this one wasn't enjoyable for me. I began to get a little put out with it, to be honest. I grew very weary of the interior shots in the van, for instance.
Those van shots are not all identical, though. Repetition would be a problem, but each man she picks up is more variations on a theme, and they're leading somewhere.
She knew well how to converse, but said almost nothing to the "good guy" from the bus. Why? Was she already too traumatized at that point?
Traumatized might be too strong a word. I thought she just didn't want to get close to him, especially as the reality of what she is doing has sunk in. How many times could you stand to stroke and play with a lamb before you cut its throat and butchered it? You could also see it as simply as, she no longer takes pride in her work.
As for conversing, no I don't think we ever got the information that she could. All her questions are canned, and those responses which aren't are short and simplistic. As a linguist, I found this very realistic. Phonetics and meaning are easy, but I would not expect another species to ever achieve conversational syntax, and the alien seemed appropriately uncomfortable about it.
The film's simplicity is why it's slow, and I don't see how it could be otherwise. A fast pace usually comes with new plot points being constantly introduced, but that couldn't happen here. And yes, of course this story has been done before. I'd be surprised, and a little offended, if anyone who rated this a 9-10 did so because they thought the idea was original. UTS is performance-driven rather than story-driven, and I think whether you like it has much to do with how immersed you became and you felt Johansson become. For me, it was more than enough. -
flo_kahn — 9 years ago(January 29, 2017 02:13 PM)
And I don't think the movie has a lot of meaning.
'alien exposed to human culture will be overwhelmed by desire to abandon their own culture and lives and attempt to live as humans'.It sci-fi writing cliche number 1.
Well, apparently you missed (like many others) the whole meaning.
This movie is not about aliens, but a parable about the human development, from birth to death, in the traumatizing and dangerous environment of our time's society.
Great movie! -
famouserik — 9 years ago(January 29, 2017 06:42 PM)
The story markers don't match up to be a parable about human development.
A person can of course match up specific scenes and say this about X. But I really don't think is a parable about human development. -
flo_kahn — 9 years ago(January 30, 2017 01:22 PM)
Hmm Every true piece of art has multiple semantic levels, offering to the audience the possibility to discover different depths of understanding, depending on the culture and intellectual capacity of each one.
The "story" is only the first level (called "narrative") - and, unfortunately, most of the audience stops here (not because people are stupid, but because this is the way the hollywoodian industry has accustomed them to do. But this is another discussion.).
On this level, indeed, Under The Skin doesn't show too much. It lacks all the verified recipes (Hollywood style) to "catch" the public and to deliver the expected "fast emotions" (read as "fast food"). As an "alien movie" it is too slow, too unimaginative in CGI, too devoid of surprise in plot - so that I totally understand the disappointment of those who went to see this kind of film.
But if we see this as a parable about the human development, everything begins to make sense!
Let's see: the first scene - the birth (by reincarnation); then, the process of learning by imitating the adults; the child's specific cruelty and innocent shamelessness to show nudity; the age when the young girl becomes aware of her power of seduction and starts to exercise it - both merciless and imprudent - on different male subjects (destroying their souls); the strange incident with the disfigured man, that triggers her empathy. And, from that moment of weakness, her transformation into a victim, along with the transformation into an adult. She becomes aware of the dangers of the society (both from bad people and from abusive authorities - the bikers), of the fact that she isn't yet prepared for the real life (including its pleasures), the fears and complexes arise, she tries to escape and - as there is no other escape from this life - finds her end
So, what do you think about this "translation"? -
Falconeer — 9 years ago(January 09, 2017 04:08 PM)
If you think this film is "a piece of crap" then you should probably stick to reality tv shows. That is probably more your speed. People with poor taste have always fascinated me; it boggles my mind that someone can look at something beautiful, or of high quality, and see "crap." Life must suck for these people. Is it like being color blind? It's sad because when you can't recognize quality you miss out on so much
Fabio Testi is GOD