Is English filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (who last directed “Birth” a decade ago) about to become a legendary auteur?
Esoteric as Lynch, and ambitious as Kubrick, Glazer opened “Under the Skin” (a film that was quick to make the list of our most anticipated films of 2014) at the Toronto International Film Festival to divisive calls of genius modernism and excessive obfuscation. The story (adapted from a novel by Michel Faber) involves an otherworldly being (Scarlett Johansson) that comes to Earth to seduce men for some unknown and likely disquieting purpose.
Judging by the unsettling trailer, Glazer is more interested in experimenting with form than making extensive use of the content, suggesting that “Under the Skin” could with some time garner a cult reputation akin to “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
Do you buy it? Did you see the film at TIFF? Let us know in the comments, and in the meantime while we wait eagerly for the theatrical release (March 14 for the UK, April 4 in the US), satisfy the anxiety with this haunting trailer and poster.
