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I had long ago written off Gregg Araki as a filmmaker of limited emotional scope, as someone who tried vainly to shock and provoke and create garish, tacky films like Nowhere to rattle the mainstream. The soundtracks were pretty good though. And he could always pull in a unique set of up-and-comers (although, most of them didn’t really establish great careers. A lot of them have found work as supporting character actors in television and independent film, which isn’t so bad.)
But something funny happened with Mysterious Skin -- Araki grew up, gained some emotional maturity, and crafted a truly poignant and disturbing film. But some of his heightened filmmaking choices and acting cues to his cast still mar the film in spots. But, mostly, it’s his best, most fully realized and engaged work. It’s also some incredibly tough and disturbing material to work through.
The film follows the emotional journey of a gay teenage hustler (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and an emotional stunted introvert with an obsession over alien abduction (Brady Corbett). The thing that binds them together is the childhood sexual abuse inflicted on them by their Little League coach. The painful, fractured shells that they’ve become are a reminder of the long-term effects of such abuse, and the two leads meet the challenges of the script. In fact, their performances are beautifully crafted and prove what talents they are, even at such young ages.
It’s the supporting cast and a few story beats that see Araki’s worst tendencies rear their ugly heads. Michelle Trachtenberg tries her best with her character, but just about anything involving her harkens back to the “Beverly Hills 90210-on-acid” aesthetic of films like The Doom Generation or Nowhere. It’s at its best when it focuses on the two boys, their lives after the fact, and the emotionally gutting finale in which Levitt fills in the memory gaps and explains to Corbett the systematic way in which they were abused, and how they had to groom each other for it. Harrowing stuff that will stick with you long after the movie is over.
