At a Glance

"This summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. Five hours, lost, gone without a trace..." These are the words of Brian Lackey (Brady Corbet), a troubled 18 year-old, growing up in the stiflingly small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Plagued by nightmares, Brian believes that he may have been the victim of an alien abduction. Local Neil McCormick (Joseph Gordon Levitt) however, is the ultimate beautiful outsider. With a loving but promiscuous mother (Elisabeth Shue), Neil is wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, having found what he perceived to be love from his Little League baseball coach (played by Hal Hartley veteran Bill Sage) at a very early age. Now, ten years later, Neil is a teenage hustler, nonchalant about the dangerous path his life is taking. Neil's pursuit of love leads him to New York City, while Brian's voyage of self discovery leads him to Neil - who helps him to unlock the dark secrets of their past. Based on the acclaimed novel by Scott Heim, MYSTERIOUS SKIN explores the hearts and minds of two very different boys who come to find the key to their future happiness lies in the exorcism of their collective demons.

Detailed Information

Splendor director Gregg Araki (Nowhere; The Doom Generation), makes a welcome return to more familiar territory with this brilliant and disturbing film MYSTERIOUS SKIN.

Based on the acclaimed book by cult novelist Scott Heim, MYSTERIOUS SKIN is a provocative and sexually charged drama starring Elisabeth Shue (Hide And Seek; Hollow Man; Leaving Las Vegas), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (10 Things I Hate About You; Halloween H2O; 3rd Rock From The Sun), Michelle Trachtenberg (EuroTrip; Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Brady Corbet (Thunderbirds; Thirteen; 24).

As an 8-year-old, Brian Lackey (Brady Corbett) lost five hours of his life…

Ten years later, Brian is plagued by nightmares and believes the missing hours could be the result of his being the victim of an alien abduction. It is a theory that is further encouraged by Brian's contact with another abductee, Avalyn Friesen (Mary Lynn Rajskub). On the other side town, fellow teenager Neil McCormick (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is living with his loving but promiscuous mother (Elizabeth Shue) and making a quick buck here and there scoring tricks as a hustler. Looking for more than his small Kansas hometown can offer, Neil follows his childhood friend Wendy (Michelle Trachtenberg) to New York where his developing sexuality leads him down a dangerous path. Brian's own search for self-discovery in turn leads him to Neil and a chance to unlock the dark secrets of the past – a past that inextricably ties them both together.

Featuring a haunting score by Robin Guthrie of The Cocteau Twins and full of idiosyncratic references to UFOs and "The Wizard of Oz", MYSTERIOUS SKIN finds Gregg Araki further exploring the complexities of burgeoning teenage sexuality in a film about self-discovery and hope that it as disturbing as it is poetic.