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