By Chuck Stinson
Director: Gregg Araki
Writer: Gregg Araki (screenplay), Scott Heim (novel)
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brad Corbet
Rated: R
Runtime: 99 min.
Release date: In stores
You might remember the sitcom “Third Rock from the Sun.” If you can think back that far, try to recall which actors are still making it in the Hollywood industry all these years later.
John Lithgow and Jane Curtin are obvious, but they were famous well before the start of the show.
Perhaps, however, you have forgotten completely about Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played young Tommy Solomon. Since the show’s cancellation Gordon-Levitt has been blowing up the independent film circuit. “Mysterious Skin” is his latest independent project.
“Mysterious Skin” chronicles the lives of Neil McCormick (Gordon-Levitt) and Brian Lackey (Brad Corbet, “Thirteen”). McCormick and Lackey played on the same baseball team when they were eight, and separate yet equally traumatizing experiences lead the two kids down divergent paths in life.
Ten years later McCormick is having sex with men for money, and Lackey is obsessed with alien abductions.
As Lackey does some self-exploration he begins to feel that McCormick can help him uncover the truth behind his troubled past.
“Mysterious Skin” is a powerful film that walks the tightrope separating the disturbing from the beautiful. With few plot twists and little action, the film relies on the solid acting and gripping story.
Gordon-Levitt outshines the rest of the cast, delivering a performance that leads his fellow actors through the film. At times it’s difficult to watch him get so involved in the monologues, because so many of his lines covered topics that are commonly snickered at for their awkwardness.
The special features are lacking, but this is common in independent films because little is ever cut. The theatrical trailer is included as well as a few other trailers. An interesting vignette is a reading of the original novel, by Scott Heim, on which the film was based. Watching and listening to the author read the words exactly as he imagined them is a feature not often included on a DVD.
This movie is for mature audiences only, and you’d be best advised to avoid renting it with your significant other, or you may risk intense awkwardness. Otherwise, I highly recommend renting “Mysterious Skin.” With great acting and an emotionally intense story, it is a must-see for any fan of small-budget art films.
