IDEOLOGY : GENDER AND FEMINISM

Under the Skin: Gender and  Ideology

Throughout the film, we are aligned with the female central character. We are

constantly watching her and watching others, with her. We should consider

what the film wants us to think about her and how it wants us to feel about

her.

Should we see her as a woman? Or as something that is becoming a

person? Or as an inhuman monster?

The film’s ideological position is enigmatic; do we feel anything towards her

as she abandons a baby or when she is murdered at the end? Could such

meanings be open to spectator interpretation?

Is it possible to say that this ambiguous and enigmatic movie has an

ideology? How useful is it to see the film from a feministic or post-colonial

critical approach? Does such an approach lead us into understanding or

appreciating the film any further?

Traditional gender stereotypes
	Masculine
Feminine
Not aggressive	Aggressive
Dependent	Independent
Easily influenced	Not easily influenced
Submissive	Dominant
Passive	Active
Home-oriented	Worldly
Easily hurt emotionally	Not easily hurt emotionally
Indecisive	Decisive
Talkative	Not at all talkative
Gentle	Tough
Sensitive to others’ feelings	Less sensitive to others’ feelings
Very desirous of security	Not very desirous of security
Cries a lot	Rarely cries
Emotional	Logical
Verbal	Analytical
Kind	Cruel
Tactful	Blunt
Nurturing	Not nurturing

1  How does " the female " in Under the Skin  demonstrate,subvert or develop some of these traditional female/male qualities and what is the effect on the audience's positioning and response to her as a character? Give a range of examples.

2        Now look at these reviews for Under the Skin and highlight the main points made about gender stereotyping in them:

https://rebeccahussein.com/2014/04/12/some-thoughts-on-under-the-skin/ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/15/scarlett-johansson-under-skin-extraterrestrial

http://www.deletionscifi.org/episodes/episode-9/alienating-the-gaze-the-hybrid-femme-fatale-of-under-the-skin/

•       These writers do not all agree about how the film portrays women. In what ways do they disagree?

•       Why is Under the Skin more difficult to agree on when discussing gender representations?



Gender politics and sexual identity issues are at the heart of this film. 
Feminist debates about the representation of Johansson’s character have
centred around the idea of female objectification and power. She is
represented and objectified differently in the first half of the film to the
second half. Some feminist readings have seen the film 
( particularly the second half) as an exploration of what it is to become a woman in the post-feminist world, whilst others have seen the film as a confirmation of Creed’s ‘Monstrous Feminine’ idea   

Further discussion on Creed and horror  here

UNDER THE SKIN: Aesthetics and close analysis

    

Aesthetics

The film has a minimalist and elliptical style that jumps between highly stylised fantasy and CCTV-like realism, creating a challenging yet innovative aesthetic. The film is shot using hidden cameras and improvised scenes using non-professional actors reminiscent of Ken Loach but also highly technical visual effects sequences reminiscent of Kubrick. It is an odd yet memorable collision of aesthetic styles.

●     There are clear motifs connected to spectatorship in the film. We constantly see characters watching others, eyes watching us or characters looking at themselves. This aesthetic motif is introduced graphically at the beginning of the film as we see eyes being manufactured for the alien.

●     The strange and disconcerting soundtrack creates a coherent and memorable aesthetic experience in the film. Mica Levy who scored it wanted to replicate the experience of the central alien character throughout the film in music. Much of the sound effects and music was recorded naturally and then altered in tone and pitch to create an alien/otherworldly effect. The intention in the score was to be ‘physical and alarming’.

STARTING POINTS – Key Elements of Film Form (Micro Features)

Examples of  Film form : opening scenes 

l   The use of hidden dash cams in the van as the alien drives around trying to pick up men. We see close-ups of Johansson’s expressionless face as she prowls the streets, which only becomes expressive as she engages with her intended victims. We see the victims from a distance through hidden, short focal length cameras which capture unscripted conversations with the A-List star Johansson. The sense of spontaneity and realism is very powerful and positions us with the alien in the van.

●     In the opening sequence, we see the female alien through close-ups, establishing her character through detailed views of parts of her body. The character is literally constructed before our very eyes.( Later in the film we see her examine her own human body in an extended mid shot , and she is often shown in long shot in the latter part of the film to highlight her vulnerability)

Mise-en-scene

●     The enigmatic visuals in the opening sequence carry some connotations of the science fiction and horror genres. We see blinding lights and dark objects that look like planets or body parts. We see an eye in extreme close-up with its pupil dilating.

●     More visual enigmas are developed in the opening sequence as we see a motorcyclist riding down an isolated road and then stop mysteriously to retrieve a body. It is very dark and the situation or its causes are withheld from us.

l There is a third dramatic change in the mise-en-scène of the opening sequence as we see a very bright and stark white room in which a female character undresses the body we have just seen retrieved and puts on her clothes. The figures are very dark against the white background, creating an otherworldly contrast. More visual mystery is developed in the use of an extreme close-up of an ant to complete the sequence.

Editing

●     The opening sequence creates a series of enigmas through the use of apparently unmatched cuts. For example, we see the motorcyclist putting the body in a dark van at night, the film then cuts to the body in a very bright, white room that creates discontinuity and a sense of unease about where we are and how the two shots connect.

●     The use of jump cuts as she prowls the streets looking for victims creates an odd sense of tension as we are never quite sure who will be the next victim. Some conversations end abruptly and suddenly she is talking to someone else. It is potentially confusing but also constantly surprising.

●     As she kills her victim at 0:17:30, there is a change in the editing rhythm to build suspense and create shock. The scene begins with a series of short takes as the characters undress, creating seductive tension that something dramatic is about to happen. However, two long takes then follow the alien as she walks away and then back to reveal that the victim has disappeared into the blackness of the room. The slowing of the editing rhythm creates an eerie sense of mystery.

Sound

●      The film begins with the use of a low, threatening sound that is reminiscent of sci-fi movies but then cut-up sounds of dialogue are mixed into the soundtrack that sound like someone trying to learn a foreign language. The effect is mysterious and eerie but on subsequent viewings might be read as the alien trying to construct her human character.

Cinematography

UNDER THE SKIN: Representations

●     The representation of women is complex in this film, particularly in the use of Johansson’s body and the gaze we adopt towards it. In the seduction of her victims the alien uses stereotypical representations of female sexuality; the red lipstick, the fur coat, undressing slowly for the sexual pleasure of the male gaze. However we also know she is consuming these male victims and is not necessarily female.

●     The representations of men tend to be stereotypical but men are also objectified and represented as lonely in this film. We see the drunken, yobbish and arrogant young men, motivated by sexual desire but also by a need for company. It is they who are viewed naked before being killed.

●     There is a reversal of gender representations in the second half of the film as the alien becomes the prey for men. We see her hunted by the men on motorcycles, romantically wooed by a man she meets and disturbingly assaulted and killed by a violent sexual predator at the end of the film. It could be argued that the empowered woman is punished, confirming patriarchal power.