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Mysterious Skin Director: Gregg Araki Rating: R Palace Nova Cinemas, from Thu 18 August This is the latest film to attract the attention of the film censors and SA Attorney General Michael Atkinson. This will only ensure that more people go to see the film, which is a good thing as it a serious work dealing with the damage that paedophiles can wreak on young lives. It shows the way that the effects can continue for decades, having an impact on victims' families and friends, too. In no way does it promote or normalise the abuse of children, nor is it explicit in its portrayal. Based on a novel by Scott Heim, 'Mysterious Skin' is about the very different ways two boys are crippled by and cope with sexual abuse. It is set to the music of the Cocteau Twins, reminiscent in tone of Julee Cruise pieces in David Lynch films. It is 1981 in small-town USA, and eight-year olds Neil (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and Brian (Brady Corbet) are in the same Little League baseball team. Something happens to both of them that year. Fragile, nerdy Brian can't remember what it was and begins to suspect it was an alien abduction which has led to his nosebleeds, nightmares and blackouts. Neil can remember that he was preyed upon sexually by the team's coach (Bill Sage) and he has become an unfeeling and successful gay hustler. Neil gravitates to the streets of New York where he dangerously emulates his trick-turning lookalike, Dee Dee Ramone. As a friend explains, "Where normal people have a heart, Neil has a bottomless black hole." Brian seeks out Avlyn, an alien-abductee that he sees on television and who lives nearby. She encourages him to use a dream journal to pursue his quest for understanding. That process leads him to track down Neil and arrange a meeting. The boys' stories are difficult to watch, with several scenes bordering on the sickening, but director Araki is serious in his intent and tends toward sensitivity in telling them. It is not news that kids are vulnerable to the allure of excesses of our consumer culture, especially to sugar and computer games, and Araki shows how these two boys succumb to a predatory sports coach. The film exposes the methods used by paedophiles, implicitly emphasising issues about safe practises and real relationships. It is a hopeful story about survival and about a quest for truth and openness. It challenges the conditions that allow predators to operate and I can only imagine child molesters wanting this fine and brave, if grim, movie banned.  |
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