Review: Mysterious Skin
You have those movies where you keep scratching your head all the time, wondering, “What’s the point of this all ?”. Titles come to mind like Thirteen and Requiem for a Dream. And usually, you end up with the answer, it must’ve been all for the shock value or misguided controversy. Not a satisfying answer at all, but you can’t applaud a pointless movie just because it shows graphic violence and abuse not shown anywhere else.
Focusing on two boy in a small town in Kansas, one geeky boy has is obsessed by his blackouts, and think alien abduction caused this, while the other lives carefree as a hustler, doing mostly whatever God forbids. The obsession of the one leads somehow the the other one. While a cloud of mystery conceals the truth, it’s directed in a devious way, yet it’s easy to figure out. The acting is good, but not brilliant.
In the end, the message might have been, the truth will set you free, but even that doesn’t come across. Hence, it’s a movie not to be recommended, unless creating your own depression is your cup of tea.5½.