Mysterious Skin
My second time watching this movie. I absolutely love Araki's visuals, the outfits, make up, relationships between characters and dialogues that feel real, the way their rooms are decorated, especially Eric's. I love the way scenes are shot, one of my fav scenes is obviously the one where Wendy and Neil are hearing "the voice of god" Infront of the drive-in theater with the snow falling is tremendous! And I also really the ending scene. The music is also perfect, slowdive? Hell yeah that guy's got a taste. The ending credits music is also brilliant, I'd watch it through all the way.
The way Araki shows something like sa and rape so realistically but not in a shocking way like Noe's "irreversible" does – is truly brilliant, I wish this movie was more popular, despite the big fanbase it already has. Spreading awareness helps victims!
I also love the way how brilliant Araki shows the way two different people deal with the sexual assault, acknowledging that victim's reaction is truly unpredictable and individual: while one's defence mechanics tries to cope with trauma by convincing one self into thinking this was "true love" – "I was his special, there were some kids, but he really loved me" and at the same time other's defence mechanism tries to cope by imagining a story about alien abduction. How Brian looks after realising that it was not aliens is devastating.
Yeah, this is a movie that I really like, can I even call it my "comfort movie"? Probably not, but I very like Brian and Eric's friendship, Eric is so sweet and nice, I'd hang out with him irl for sure. I've heard that their dynamics is even more developed in the book, so I'm eager to read it.
Did I mention I love Araki's visuals? Cereal falling on Neil's face with dreamy white background in the start is so awfully beautiful and poignant at the same time
Anyway, here's my favourite quote from the movie:
And as we sat there listening to the carolers, I wanted to tell Brian it was over now and everything would be okay. But that was a lie, plus, I couldn't speak anyway. I wish there was some way for us to go back and undo the past. But there wasn't. There was nothing we could do. So I just stayed silent and trying to telepathically communicate... how sorry I was about what had happened. And I thought of all the grief and sadness... and fucked up suffering in the world... and it made me want to escape. I wished with all my heart that we could just... leave this world behind. Rise like two angels in the night and magically... disappear