Under the Skin (2013)

Last updated:
July 1, 2025

Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin is a mesmerizing and enigmatic science fiction film, loosely adapted from Michel Faber’s novel of the same name. With Scarlett Johansson in the lead, it’s a haunting meditation on identity, empathy, and alienation — told with minimal dialogue, abstract visuals, and an unsettling atmosphere. The film resists traditional structure, instead opting for a hypnotic experience that lingers long after it ends.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

The Arrival: A Mysterious Woman Appears

The film opens with a cryptic, Kubrick-esque sequence: shapes, sounds, and a glowing orb suggest a spacecraft or birth-like event. We soon meet an unnamed woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) — not entirely human — who arrives in Scotland and takes over the body of a deceased woman. She is aided by a silent, motorbike-riding man who disposes of the corpse.

Johansson’s character begins cruising the streets of Glasgow in a white van, engaging solitary men in conversation. These scenes were often filmed with hidden cameras, capturing real people who weren’t aware they were in a movie — adding to the documentary-like realism.

The Lure: Seduction and Extraction

The alien woman lures her targets — lonely or socially isolated men — back to an abandoned house. Once inside, they are hypnotically drawn toward her as she undresses, following her into a pitch-black void. The floor becomes a tar-like liquid that engulfs them while she remains untouched.

Inside this strange space, the men are suspended in a kind of limbo. In one particularly disturbing sequence, we see what happens to a previous victim: his skin deflates like an empty suit, his internal contents sucked away through a red shaft. The purpose remains unclear, but it seems to be some form of harvesting.

The Deviation: Encounter with the Disfigured Man

Everything changes when the alien picks up a man with severe facial disfigurement (played by real-life activist Adam Pearson). For the first time, she shows hesitation and lets him go free. This moment of empathy — or curiosity — is the film’s turning point. It’s as if something stirs in her; a kind of self-awareness or conflict begins to emerge.

This event causes her to detach from her mission. She wanders into the wilderness, uncertain of what she is or what she’s supposed to do. Her handler on the motorcycle searches for her, but she remains off-grid.

Attempt at Humanity: A Taste of the Human Experience

In the second half of the film, the alien woman begins to explore human experiences. She eats human food (which she can’t digest), has a brief romantic encounter with a kind man, and tries to have sex — only to recoil in confusion, seemingly discovering the limits of her body. These scenes suggest a being trying, and failing, to integrate into human society.

She retreats again, now into the forest. Her silence, vulnerability, and confusion grow.

Movie Ending

The film’s haunting final sequence takes place in a misty forest. The alien woman encounters a logger who initially appears helpful but soon turns aggressive. She runs and hides in a small structure in the woods, but he finds her, attacks her, and attempts to rape her.

In the process, her human skin is torn open, revealing a jet-black, featureless alien form beneath. The man flees in horror. As the alien stares at her own face — now detached and lifeless — a tragic awareness settles in. She had started to form a fragile sense of identity, and now even that is gone.

The film ends with her being doused in gasoline and set on fire by the returning attacker. Her black alien body burns in the snow, curling up in a fetal position as snowflakes fall. In the distance, the motorcyclist is still searching — but too late.

This ending is devastating and deeply symbolic. The alien, who began as a predator, becomes a victim. The roles reverse entirely. The closing shot is quiet and still, reinforcing the existential loneliness that permeates the entire film.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No, Under the Skin does not have any post-credits scenes. The film ends with the alien’s death and then cuts to black, offering no additional information or closure. It’s in keeping with the film’s ambiguous and minimalist style.

Type of Movie

Under the Skin is a psychological science fiction thriller with strong elements of art-house cinema and existential horror. It’s far from a conventional alien story. Instead, it leans heavily into mood, atmosphere, and abstract storytelling. It’s part The Man Who Fell to Earth, part 2001: A Space Odyssey, and part Lynchian nightmare.

Cast

Scarlett Johansson as The Female / The Alien
Adam Pearson as The Disfigured Man
Paul Brannigan, Jeremy McWilliams, and various non-actors appearing in real, unscripted interactions

Film Music and Composer

The eerie, droning score was composed by Mica Levi, and it’s a crucial part of the film’s identity. The music is at once seductive and terrifying, often sounding like an alien trying to replicate human music. The dissonant strings and textures perfectly match the film’s sense of unease and otherworldliness. Levi’s work received critical acclaim and has become one of the most discussed film scores of the decade.

Filming Locations

Scotland – Primarily shot in Glasgow, Inverness, and the Scottish Highlands

The bleak, overcast landscapes of Scotland provide an eerie and grounded backdrop that contrasts sharply with the alien elements of the film. The use of real streets and people (often unknowingly filmed) gives the film a voyeuristic, almost documentary-like quality.

Awards and Nominations

BAFTA Awards – Nominated for Best British Film
European Film Awards – Best Composer (Mica Levi)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association – Best Score
Venice Film Festival – Official Selection

Although it didn’t win major mainstream awards, the film was a critical darling and often appears on “Best of the Decade” lists.

Behind the Scenes Insights

Most of Scarlett Johansson’s scenes driving the van were filmed with hidden cameras, and her interactions with pedestrians were unscripted.
Adam Pearson was cast to challenge common portrayals of disfigurement in film — not as a victim or villain, but as a real person.
Director Jonathan Glazer spent over a decade developing the film.
The original script was much more literal and plot-heavy but was eventually stripped down to an abstract tone poem.
Scarlett Johansson reportedly walked around Glasgow in disguise to get into character.

Inspirations and References

Based on the 2000 novel Under the Skin by Michel Faber.
The book is more detailed, with explicit explanations of the alien’s mission, her species, and the harvesting process.
Glazer removed much of the exposition, focusing instead on the alien’s emotional journey.
Influences include Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Nicolas Roeg.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

Several scenes were removed from the final cut, including:

A longer depiction of the alien’s interactions with her victims inside the void.
More dialogue and background about her mission and alien origin.
An alternate ending involving the alien’s body being examined by humans after her death, which was cut to preserve the film’s ambiguity.

These changes were made to maintain the film’s mysterious, minimalist tone.

Book Adaptations and Differences

Michel Faber’s novel is much more literal and satirical. Key differences include:

In the book, the alien has a name: Isserley.
The story focuses more on corporate exploitation and factory farming, with humans being harvested like animals.
The alien is surgically altered to appear human and suffers great pain to blend in.
The film removes almost all exposition, transforming the story into a moody character study rather than a social allegory.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

The seduction and drowning sequences in the black void.
The moment the alien releases the disfigured man.
The failed sexual encounter and her confusion.
The forest scene and the slow, horrific reveal of her true form.
The final shot of her body burning in the snow.

Iconic Quotes

Dialogue is sparse, but a few lines stand out:

“Are you alone?” – The alien’s recurring question to her victims.
“What about your family?” – Used to test if the men can disappear unnoticed.
“You’re very kind.” – Her only emotional response to the man who helps her.

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

The alien’s first victim is seen again in the background of a later scene — hinting at her growing awareness.
The black void scenes were filmed in a studio with practical effects, not CGI.
The men’s bodies floating in the void reference the idea of lost souls, similar to Dante’s Inferno imagery.
The alien’s reflection in a mirror is often shown — a visual cue of her growing self-awareness.

Trivia

Scarlett Johansson was not originally attached to the project; several European actresses were considered first.
The film flopped at the box office but became a cult hit later.
Mica Levi’s score was named one of the top 25 film scores of the 21st century by Pitchfork and IndieWire.
Director Jonathan Glazer hadn’t made a film since Birth (2004), and wouldn’t make another until The Zone of Interest (2023).
Many critics called it “the best alien film since The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

Why Watch?

Under the Skin is not for everyone, but it’s a rewarding experience for viewers who appreciate slow-burn psychological sci-fi with abstract storytelling. It offers a uniquely haunting view of what it means to be human — through the eyes of something that isn’t.

If you’re tired of loud, exposition-heavy sci-fi films, this is a bold, artistic counterpoint. It’s unsettling, poetic, and strangely moving.

Director’s Other Movies

Sexy Beast (2000)
Birth (2004)
The Zone of Interest (2023)

Under the Skin (2013)