Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi masterpiece follows a mysterious woman through Scotland in a hypnotic exploration of what it means to be human.

Southend CineScene Presents:

Under the Skin (2013)Country: United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Running time: 108 minutes

Language: English Certificate: 15 (UK)

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell

Format: Colour

A mysterious young woman drives through the streets of Glasgow and the surrounding Scottish countryside, approaching solitary men and luring them into her van. As her encounters unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that she is not what she appears to be. But as she begins to experience the world through unfamiliar human emotions and sensations, her carefully detached existence takes an unexpected and unsettling turn.

Directed by British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer and loosely adapted from Michel Faber’s novel, Under the Skin is a haunting and visually arresting work of science-fiction cinema. Blending documentary-style realism with surreal, otherworldly imagery, Glazer transforms familiar urban streets and bleak Scottish landscapes into an alien environment. Through sparse dialogue, hypnotic compositions and Mica Levi’s extraordinary, dissonant score, the film explores identity, desire, vulnerability and what it means to be human. Scarlett Johansson delivers a mesmerising, understated performance that moves between predatory detachment and fragile curiosity.

Since its release in 2013, Under the Skin has established itself as one of the most distinctive and critically acclaimed films of the 21st century. Both deeply unsettling and unexpectedly moving, Glazer’s enigmatic masterpiece challenges the conventions of science fiction, offering a singular cinematic experience that lingers long after its haunting final images.

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