Mysterious Skin
Written and Directed by Greg Araki
Adapted from the novel by Scott Heim
Mysterious Skin is a story about two boys growing up connected by one traumatic childhood event; they were both molested at age eight by their little league coach. Brian (Brady Corbet) and Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) have a different take on the series of events, which in turn affected who they have become. Neil is a self-destructive male prostitute, convincing himself that the only man he’s ever loved was his coach. While Brian believes he was abducted my aliens and will stop at nothing to learn the truth. In order for Brian and Neil to move on in their lives they must face the past together.
Mysterious Skin is written in a unique way, recalling the traumatic memories of two different boys blending the lines between fact and fiction. The script plays with the idea of perception and synchronicity while examining the lives of Neil and Brian, the two victims, as they grow up. Each scene in the film works on multiple levels, creating a character arc for both boys and even some minor characters while keeping the story moving with strong structure and an overall vision. Some themes expressed in this film include: salvation in the most unlikely of places, dealing with the past in order to move on and how our perception can alter memories. The screenwriter weaves these themes throughout each scene while continually keeping the viewer involved, waiting to see how the story will pan out.
One scene in particular that showcases these elements of screenwriting beautifully is the Halloween scene. This scene comes fairly early on in the film, when we have already met the eight-year-old Brian and Neil as well as these boys in the current state. The audience knows that Neil is gay and that he was a willing participant in a sexual act with his little league coach. We also know Brian believes that he was abducted by aliens because one night he blacked out and ever since then he has nose bleeds. The connection between these two boys seem to be the little league team that they both played on. Within the Halloween scene much more is revealed, characters become more developed and relationships are formed.
The scene goes back and forth between each of the boy’s experiences that Halloween night. We begin with Neil’s voice over telling us that Wendy Peterson was his soul mate and if it weren’t for him being gay they would have been more than just friends. We see the two children (Wendy and Neil) holding hands and dressed alike. Now we understand that they have been friends for a while. This eases us into their relationship that we later see. Young Neil decides to kidnap a boy with Wendy; convincing the boy that they are going to “do something fun.” The tone of the film, as well as the music, lets us know that this "something fun" will more then likely not be typical child like behavior.
We then cut to Brian with his sister, too scared to go through a haunted house. Brian is told to wait outside while his sister goes through alone. While outside, Brian is pushed around by a bunch of bullies. His glasses fall and he is disoriented. Here we learn about Brian’s demeanor. He is not a very popular or strong boy. He is an outsider. As the scene intensifies and Brian is more bewildered, flashing Halloween masks past quickly until everything goes blurry. In the distance Brian sees a figure that calls his name. This is the first time we see an image of the “alien” Brian claims to have been abducted by. Without glasses this being coming towards him truly looks like the aliens seen on the television program he watches. Brian’s nose begins to bleed and he passes out.
After Brian has fallen we cut back to Neil and Wendy telling the boy they kidnapped to get into a hole in the ground. Wendy seems apprehensive so Neil takes the lead. Neil curses at the boy and tells him to put firecrackers into his mouth while he lights them. After lighting the firecrackers, Neil asks Wendy to shine the light on the boys face. The boy is bleeding all over and in shock. Wendy is afraid that they will be tattled on but Neil says he knows just what to do. Neil touches the boy sexually (the way his coach touched him in the scene before) and Wendy watches. This not only establishes Neil’s nature that he learned from his little league coach but also how Neil revealed a part of himself to Wendy that he was never able to reveal to anyone else.
At the end of the scene we go back to Brian, waking up not knowing how he got home. He had lost an hour and he couldn’t remember anything, just that this event and the one from before were connected. Brian’s voice over lets us know why this is such an important memory:
All I knew was that it was somehow linked to the other time, the night I woke up in the cellar. And I also knew that, no matter how long it took, I had to find out what had happened to me. I had to find an answer to the mystery. Brain has now committed himself to finding out what has happened to him, his journey can begin. His character has been established and we know that he will have to change over the course of the film in order to find the truth.
Neil also breaks through in this scene. Before we were under the impression that Neil enjoyed his time with his coach, but there was something under the surface that wasn’t seen. In this scene, what is under the surface begins to be revealed. Neil is affected by what his coach has done to him and it has formed the way he looks at other people, hurting them and then making it up to them sexually. This helps the viewer understand Neil’s actions later in the film. The relationship between Neil and Wendy is developed further, so we can understand why Wendy sees Neil that way she does. As Neil’s voice over states:
Wendy never looked at me quite the same after that night. Sharing this part of myself...I'd never showed anyone else ever before. I knew we'd be bound together...forever.
To create an amazing scene the screenwriter used character development, story movement, a visual representation of the “alien figure” and economy, by moving back and forth between one boy’s Halloween experiences to the others. However, there is one more element that the writer weaves throughout this scene and many of the others, and that is a theme. As I said before, there are many themes within this film but one of the major ones is this idea of perception. These two boys see life differently and so they react to people and situations adversely. One boy is in denial while the other becomes numb. It is interesting to see these two reactions to abuse and how they might affect the child as he grows up. Reality can be altered depending on the lens it is seen through. This is what the film is about. After this scene the viewer is ready to take the journey with these two boys. We know that they will have to eventually meet and somehow save one another.
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