The divisive 'masterpiece' was named one of the best films of the 21st century
What makes a film truly great? It's a question many have attempted to answer, including the UK's very own British Film Institute . Its magazine, Sight and Sound, has been running a survey of the greatest films every decade since the tradition first began in 1952.
The most recent edition from 2022 saw more than 1,600 film critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics submit their personal top 10. These votes were then compiled into a definitive list of the 250 greatest films of all time. That's quite a collection to wade through, so we're shining a spotlight on the highest-ranking British film from the 21st century — a gripping picture starring Scarlett Johansson as a seductive alien stalking the streets of Scotland.
The sci-fi horror is from English director Jonathan Glazer, whose subsequent film, The Zone of Interest, swept up awards at the BAFTAs and Cannes in 2023. A decade earlier, Glazer loosely adapted Under the Skin from Michel Faber's novel of the same name, in which Johansson portrays an extraterrestrial in disguise. Her character, who remains nameless throughout, targets vulnerable and lonely men who are completely oblivious to her true nature.
While the novel makes no secret of the protagonist's true motives — to slaughter and butcher men for their flesh — the film takes a far more ambiguous approach. Interestingly, many of the sequences in which Johansson's character drives around picking up men were unscripted encounters filmed using hidden cameras.
Justifying its position at number 169 on the list, the BFI said: "The icily brilliant Scarlett Johansson stars as an alien predator scouring Scotland's streets for human prey, in Jonathan Glazer's astonishing amalgam of fantasy and reality.
"Mixing mind-bending visuals and hallucinatory sound design with an unexpected naturalism, Glazer returned to the screens after a nine-year absence in audacious style, utilising guerrilla filmmaking tactics to capture Glasgow and its unsuspecting inhabitants with intimate realism. " Its storyline has been divisive from the start. Reporting from the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, The Guardian wrote: " Some saw it as a masterpiece, others as a bore.
The film's closing credits played out to an accompaniment of booing.
" The picture is "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with an 83% approval rating. Their critics consensus acknowledged the film's divisive nature, noting: "Its message may prove elusive for some, but with absorbing imagery and a mesmerising performance from Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin is a haunting viewing experience.
" Despite flopping at the box office, it was nominated at the BAFTAs for Outstanding British Film and Best Original Music. The Guardian and Chicago Sun-Times awarded it a full five star rating, with the latter declaring: "This is what we talk about when we talk about film as art.
" Cinema enthusiasts continue to argue over whether the film truly deserves to be celebrated as one of the best. "I just watched Under the Skin and I can't decide whether it is a masterpiece or a terrible movie," mused one Reddit user more than 10 years after its release. "What is your opinion? " One replied: "It's one of the best movies of the previous decade.
" Another agreed: "Masterpiece absolutely. Couldn't stop thinking about that movie for weeks. Still think about it sometimes.
" A third put it simply: "It's one of my favourite films, but one of my friends who I saw it with in theatres despised it. " Under the Skin is currently available to stream on platforms including Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Sky Store and Google Play.
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