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I the first time I watched this film. I had watched two Araki films prior, The Living End, 1992 and The Doom Generation, 1995 (which is another Araki film that made it to my top 4). These films blew me away. I was in awe of … well … everything, really. The films felt .. different. The characters didn’t feel like real people. The world these characters lived in didn’t feel like the real world. And yet, I still found myself resonating with it. Because of my love for these two films, I started looking more into Araki and his other works. I found out about mysterious skins and recognized it as that one movie about aliens starring Joseph Gordon levitt (who I had, and still have a huge crush on). I had seen TikTok edits of the movie before and thought it looked interesting and cool. I was left under the impression that it was some weird, wacky, otherworldly coming of age movie about some teenagers, similar to other Araki films I had watched. Although I was partially correct, I was not ready to watch this movie.

After watching the movie. I felt different. Almost like I had some sort of awakening. I didn’t even know why .. exactly. I just felt .. odd. Like a part of myself I had been trying to hide had been exposed and put right infront of me. I couldn’t hide anymore, I couldn’t look away, I couldn’t avoid it, all I could do was sit there .. and think.

I really love how this film explores the affects SA can have on someone especially at such a young age, and how it can make a person grow to be hyper sexual or “asexual”. I find myself relating to both Neil and Brain. 

I appreciate the way Araki parralles SA with an alien abduction. Getting sa’d at such a young age fucks with your memory in a way I couldn’t describe until watching this film. You don’t what happened but you can never forget how it made you feel. The feeling lingering throughout the rest of your life until you finally put the pieces together and vividly what was done to you.

And when you do it. When you everything. It sticks with you. You can’t seem to forget about it. You keep things around that remind you of it. You don’t even think it was wrong. You romanticize it. You fantasize about it. You look for it in your partners. You think it was love. Until you finally come to the realization, it was abuse, and you’re forever tainted by it.

I have so much love for this movie and Araki as a director in general. From the acting, cinematography, symbolism, representation and overall messaging, this movie is a fucking masterpiece.

I can’t bring myself to watch it again.

This review may contain spoilers.

Gay twink and bisexual married dilf trapped together in a dirty abandoned gender neutral bathroom with an elderly cancer patient laying on the floor pretending to be dead

Maladaptive daydreaming girlies rise

Eric is the only ounce of happiness you’ll get from this depressing ass movie.

Every friend group needs a bisexual cowboy, a racially ambiguous himbo, and an angry punk girl. - Final girl digital