Mysterious Skin | BFI Flare 2026

Originally released in 2004, Mysterious Skin is, in my opinion, director Gregg Araki’s best film. It’s a candid, emotive reality of the impacts of trauma - nauseating and no holds barred, but this is what affords it its excellence. It zeroes in on the harrowing effects of childhood sexual abuse on its victims, depicting the repercussions of the trauma that two boys experienced in their childhood, their lives intertwining inexplicably as we watch them grow up.

Neil McCormick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in one of his most striking performances to date) is a headstrong teenage prostitute in a small Kansas town, desperate to feel the same value as he did when he was abused as a child by his baseball coach (Bill Sage). Brian Lackey (played heart-wrenchingly by Brady Corbet) is another of the coach’s victims. He’s now a gentle, reserved teenager, obsessed with UFOs and alien invasions. His naïveté and reticence render the events of his childhood even more gut-wrenching. 

The film is heartbreaking, sickening, and shocking all at once, but the most disturbing scenes in this film are not included with the intention of making audiences balk. They ensure an incredibly honest telling of the effects of childhood sexual abuse, depicting atrocities that many directors would shy away from, but not Araki. When a film explores trauma, it becomes increasingly important to navigate its intricacies truthfully, rather than avoiding the most real parts to ensure the audience’s comfort. Mysterious Skin shies away from no part of Neil and Brian’s abuse, and while much of it is horrifying for viewers, we must compare the horror of simply watching these scenes with the substantial horror felt by victims of abuse who have experienced this trauma in reality. The film is often critiqued by viewers for its brazenness, facing allegations of being 'too much.' I disagree - though frequently bleak and horrible, the film's value lies in its honesty. There's no glossing over any subject in Mysterious Skin: its horror is laid bare.

On perhaps a lighter note, the soundtrack to Mysterious Skin is one of the best elements of the film. It’s ethereal and haunting - featuring songs by the integral shoegaze bands, Ride and Slowdive. The score is hazy and dreamlike, much like many of the scenes in the film, but the bliss that the soundtrack lulls you into is often suddenly broken by horrifically violent scenes, the contrast ensuring that the film stays harrowingly engaging.

For all its horror-adjacent subject matter, Mysterious Skin is visually stunning, with an absolutely perfect cast. It’s essential viewing, important in its uniquely forthright exploration of the impacts of abuse. It won’t be shaken off easily.