I expected this to be a thrilling Alien mystery movie. That's what the title and the description of the movie suggests. Instead I got what is basically morose and depressing softcore gay porn.The story is thin and boring, the only time you'll be on the edge of your seat is when you need to stretch your legs to get the blood circulating again. "The big twist" is extremely predictable, which is a major pet peeve of mine. There's nothing I hate more than a movie which builds up to a forgone conclusion, especially if they take one and a half hours to get there. "Mysterious Skin" seems to want to convince us that sexually abusing children is immoral and has a major effect on their lives. Like that in itself is some revolutionary eye opening idea in the 21st century. I could have forgiven the misleading promotional material if they would have actually created a philosophical and poetic masterpiece. But instead it just tries to gross us out all the time despite the fact that we're already thoroughly grossed out by the idea. I give this movie a 4/10. Frankly I don't understand the praise this movie got at all. Just because it talks about difficult taboo subjects like pedophilia, homosexuality and prostitution, doesn't mean it does it in a dignified and thoughtful manner. Which it didn't.

disturbing. complex. realistic. like the book. a film about the manner to assume the past. to define the life. to impose the measure under pressure. to survive to the shadows to becomes parts of present. its gift - a wise script, great acting. and the art to capture the nuances of a sensitive age, the violence of image as expression of profound honesty about a taboo. one of films who explores the universe of its public. fragments of memories, impressions, stories. and the feeling of a strange, splendid trip. a remarkable film about the truth as basis for become yourself. not comfortable. maybe fascinating because Joseph Gordon Levitt does a great job. a bitter experience. and its exorcism. and the cold air of freedom.

I hadn't made it a secret that I've never been a huge Gordon Levitt fan. I did like him in Don Jon though. Still, this film may have been enough for me to do a complete 180, and consider that he needs to stay away from all of these big movies and go back to independent cinema. He's so amazing here, totally lived in, not at all forced or fake like I usually find him. The film was pretty difficult to watch at times, with perhaps the most cringe-worthy, most disturbing rape scene I think I may have ever seen. Brady Corbet was no slouch either, he doesn't have the dramatic material Levitt has but he could've easily come across like nothing more than surface-level (like it seemed like he would the instant he popped up) but he's pretty fantastic too. It's a shame that he doesn't seem to get meaty roles like this, although I like that he usually pops up in random independent films from time to time. I honestly don't know how to grade this, I'm not sure we needed so many scenes or explanations showing us exactly what happened in their past, just got to be too much. Still, rather effective and unlikely to forget both leads' tremendous work here any time soon

Gregg Araki delivered with this Mysterious Skin a movie which subject can only shake you deeply, carried by a promising duo at the time, the excellent Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the late lamented Heath Ledger.Unfortunately, if Neil's storyline is poignant and captivating, the passages regarding Brian almost all turn out to be sterile and his character is terribly under-exploited. And if you step back even more, you just have to say those two story lines intertwine very badly, and this frustrating because with two or three very simple modifications, the story would have been much more suspenseful and intriguing.Moreover, even though the story is undeniably sincere and accurate, the point of the frontal approach of the director is debatable and you can't help but think the script would have benefited from a bit more suggestion and finesse.However, and to his credit, the movie chose to tackle a difficult subject and did a very honourable job at it.