If you don't recognize the beautiful acting and the that provoking plot, you should not be able to rate this movie. Though dreadfully disturbing in some parts, it is terribly compelling.

I was furious watching this movie, not because of the content but because of the treatment of the content. It's one of the most delicate subjects, if not THE most delicate subject, and this director went at it like a bull in a china shop, and then in an interview claims he's not trying to shock anyone, which is such utter @#$!. I agree with Matt A., and I truly don't know what to make of the general response that this movie has recieved.… Expand

Worst movie ever!......what the hell is wrong with Araki??

I agree with Nick M. that the obviousness of the movie's structure is a disappointment. Because the audience knows everything pretty much from the beginning, the one boy's quest to solve his UFO memories seems pointless in dramatic terms. We know the truth even if he doesn't, so why do we have to spend so much time watching him follow totally false leads? The film also skirts right around the provocative idea that the other boy is in fact attracted to the coach and dreams of being seduced by him. It brings up the idea early on, then forgets about it for the remainder of the movie. I did like the film overall, primarily for the mood and performances, but I think many people are finding more in it than is actually there simply because it deals fairly overtly with a controversial subject. The problem for me is that it takes an extremely conventional, and conservative, stand that's little different from the typical LIfetime for Women movie. In the end it is not particularly complex or profound, though its style makes it seem as if it is.… Expand

Very well done and very watchable film from a director who has always promised so much.

Why is it that those who dislike movies about tough subjects, tend to dismiss them entirely without consideration? Why watch the movie in the first place? Anyway, this was a well-made movie and provides a path forward for those kids that were abused. To me, it certainly is far superior to the movies like Mystic River and Sleepers that also make attempts at exploring this stuff.

Sometimes it's like a gay "X-Files", and sometimes it's like the third season of "My So-Called Life" that never was(Ricky and Brian Krakow become best friends); all I know is that "Mysterious Skin" is compulsively watchable, a movie whose irreverent treatment of child abuse is grounded with irony-free angst (it's nothing like the equally brilliant "Happiness" by Todd Solondz) and a soundtrack (a Fraser-less Cocteau Twins) that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of alienation in a small-town. How the celibate boy's story is actually the same story as the chicken-hawking Goth’s gets told with enigmatic verve and sensitivity. It's ingenuous how this filmmaker doesn't oversell the moment when the asexual kid starts to remember. It's fascinating how the boy's orientation is unearthed when the gay Goth tells him the whole story of his youth. "Mysterious Skin", for me, is haunting because it treats the eighties seriously. Too often, that decade is played for laughs.… Expand

This movie was the best depiction on child abuse I've ever seen. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing. The matter in focus is the most delicate subject you can ever put into live pictures, and yet, Gregg Araki manage to put in two seperate storylines, which in the end, connects.

One of the most harrowing and strangely touching movies I've seen in many years. The writing and acting are equally terrific.

Well-acted and shot, if not the most involving movie experience. Ian M is spot on – because you know all there is to know from very early on, it's simply a case of watching the unsavoury dramatics unfold, waiting patiently for the characters to play catch up.

I viewed Mysterious Skin for the first time about 8 hours ago and still feel a tremendous emotional reaction to this most unique film.

Awesome yet disturbing movie See it!

Disturbing but oddly cathartic film about an act of childhood sexual abuse and the varying ways two young men are stunted emotionally until they can deal with their pasts. Sometimes "out there" but with an unmistakable ring of truth.

One of this years ten best!

“Mysterious Skin” is more audacious in themes and content than in narrative (which is horribly straightforward). Araki’s amateurish film explores the different reactions two young men have to the molestation they faced as pee-wee baseball playing children. Their coach, who looks eerily similar to the mustached and short-shorts clad Lt. Dangle from “Reno 911”, is the disturbingly friendly man who molests them. As one boy matures, he deludes himself into believing that it was an alien encounter while the other embraces the occasion and becomes a gay male prostitute. The presentation is strangely watchable and not nearly as ridiculous as it sounds (unfortunately, it is completely obvious storytelling). The cast is inconsistent but Joseph-Gordon Levitt grabs onto a meaty role and tries his hardest to look as edgy as he can. The film acts less as a stimulant of the mind and more as a punch in the gut – and that just makes me want to vomit. “Mysterious Skin” thrives on the audiences’ discomfort and relies on their stupidity.… Expand

A film that is as honest and provocative as any film can be. One of the best of the year.

This is the most visually arresting, challenging, and haunting film not only of this year, but possibly of the last five years. The performances, across the board, are riveting and amazing. The script is brilliant, taken from a brilliant novel; Gregg Araki establishes himself as one of the most fearless directors of our time. This film should be distributed to wider release. It's a small masterpiece.… Expand

Joseph Gordon-Leavitt gives an amazing and haunting performance. This brutally honest movie stays with you long after it's over.

This is a brilliant realization of Heim's novel and I am grateful that the Landmark in Atlanta opted to book this film. Joseph Gordon-Leavitt's performance is extraordinarily powerful &one of truly remarkable depth. I would love to see him on stage. Imagine what he could bring to bear in a role such as Hamlet or Romeo; or perhaps something more modern, say from Tennessee Williams. Maybe Bobby in McNally's LOVE, VALOR, COMPASSION! In contemporary America, we have multiple and dramatic examples to confirm that, if you control the language (terminology), you can define and control the debate. "Late term abortions" are clearly criminal actions. Who could possibly be against a "war on terror"? And who could possibly support "special rights for homosexuals"? While I have not read all the previously posted comments; I am intrigued by some reviewers' choice of terminology, e.g.,. "sexual abuse", "child abuse", "molestation." Because the film I saw was exemplary in NOT using any such terms. One of the reasons I found the movie so "particulary complex... [and] profound" is that I was not instructed to reach a predetermined conclusion codified by the labels assigned to what had transpired. Neil does not say, "I was the victim of sexual molestation by a pedophile who led me into a life of drug abuse and prosttitution." Neil says Coach loved him. Brian struggles with bloody noses, blackouts and dreams he strains to understand. But his rage is against his father for never being his advocate and seeking out the cause of his child's troubles. We see no rage when his boyhood experiences are illuminated for him. Rather we are presented with a pieta: as Brian rests his head in Neil's lap and the strains of "Silent Night" drift over them. This is a film of greys. And all the more powerful for being so.… Expand

Three months after seeing this film I still think about it, my throat clenches and I find myself tearful. No movie has ever affected me that way.

I don't normally comment much on the movies I see, and thats probably because most leave me pretty ho-hum. I like a movie that takes you somewhere, wrenches your gut, stirs all sorts of emotions and leaves you numb and thoughtful. I also like a movie that is real. I saw Mysterious Skin tonight and thought it was one very amazing movie, telling a very real story many of us know about, but don't share with but a handful of people. Even though it was very difficult to watch in parts, it was handled with alot of care to bring out an understanding of the feelings and emotions that are set alight in the abused, and the abusers. I especially liked the way the two boys very different experiences of dealing with the abuse were handled, and the different ways they found to cope with the missing link to love. Although some have said it wasn't graphic, I felt it was, but then the emotion that was stirred due to seeing the confusion and the pain of the boys cut at a deep level for me. If you're willing to understand the inner depth of the abused, then this is a must-see. The cast were brilliant, not one of them could be criticised for anything less than a perfect performance. The soundtrack by Harold Budd and one of my all-time fave bands, The Cocteau Twins, guitarist Robin Guthrie was excellent, very moving and matched the emotive scenes exceptionally well. I'm out to buy this tomorrow. Five stars for this. Best movie I've seen this year.… Expand

I never walk out of movies. I'll suffer through anything to criticize it afterwards and warn others. That was until I tried to watch this movie. Utterly unwatchable.

I didn't like it at first but as it went on it kind of made it difficult not to accept and keep watching. Whatever that means. It's really well made. It's not for everyone and I'm not sure, even though I liked it, that it needed to be as graphic as it was.

This film was a surprisingly faithful adaptation to Scott Heim's controversial novel. If anything, Araki has improved upon the novel's slightly ametuerish writing while still capturing the same plot. Another surprising part of this film was how Araki changed the character of Eric from a melodramatic character, to a comedic one, supplyign an amusing balance to the film.

Easily one of the best films of the year, and certainly the most thought-provoking and visually gorgeous.

A terrifying look into the lives of two molseted boys, MS is clearly the best film of Mr. Araki's career. Mr. Gordon Levitt delivers a Spirit Award deserving performance, and the visuals by Steve Gainer are stunning.

A movie that manages both to expose the horrors of child molesting while also acknowledging that children have sexual feelings. Daring, honest, and terrific acting.

Mysterious Skin is indeed beautiful, mysterious, delicate, heartrending, honest, gorgeously shot and gorgeously told. It is also amazingly faithful to the source material and manages to reproduce the lush, eidetic prose of the book in a visual language. The Seattle PI reviewer couldn't be more symptomatic of a culture that demonizes sexual abusers at the same time that it glorifies and infantilizes sexuality, refusing to see the shades of gray and damage childhood sexual abuse can engender. … Expand

This is a difficult movie to watch because of the subject matter and because the acting is so well done it will draw you into the world of child molestation and male prostitutes. I felt like I needed a shower after seeing this movie --- maybe that's a compliment because it illustrates the ability of the movie to make the viewer relate to what is happening. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from his days of playing an alien on 3rd Rock From the Sun. In this movie he is very believable as a soul-dead, teen hustler who lost the ability to feel or relate to others on anything other than a physical level. He has not aged since his days on 3rd Rock. According to the IMDB his age is 24 yet he doesn't look a day over 14. That's downright creepy.… Expand

Brilliant.

One of the most disturbing but wonderful movies I've ever seen...Great acting, great script, great film-making (Arkai's best). For thinking people, Not for the superficial massses. People just sat for a few minutes after the movie, you have to sit for a minute to digest it. Soundtrack is also awesome (ambient/etherial work of art).

Amazing story and acting! very powerful and very disturbing....worth watching it.

Just because the film tackles a taboo subject like molestation and sex with minors doesn't mean that it's good. Ridiculously acted (especially you 3rd rock from the sun kid), terribly written, and directed with about as much subtlety as a sledge hammer to the head, this film easily wins my award for not only most overrated film of the year, but the worst film as well. Kenneth Turan is a grade-A boner for saying this is the best film of the year, and I will never trust his reviews again because of it.… Expand

Shocking, simply shocking! Granted any intelligent viewer would have anticipated the denouement long before it was revealed, still through the masterful work of the director you are held spellbound! wow!