The Heritage

A man lives with his wife in peace until his dad hangs himself. What will be his heritage? (…)

“Mysterious skin”

A movie from 2004 by Gregg Araki (screenplay) and Scott Heim (novel) that tells us the story of life after abuse. There are two boys, the protagonists,  who were abused by their coach at the age of 8. At this time, one boy, Brian, felt into a shock and never remembers this night. Instead he thinks he was abducted by aliens. The other kid, Neil, remembers “much better” and during his whole teenager life he is used by pedophiles.

The analogy with the abduction is a clever move. I like how the director puts two exeptional topics into one. It is clear that nobody is allowed to talk about an abduction because it is not real and everybody thinks that this person, who is talking about an alien abduction, must be insane. For me this point works exactly in the same way with an abuse. Nobody wants to talk about it because nobody wants this possiblity present at all. We all know that abductions by aliens don’t really exist but Gregg Araki tries to explain one reason for a believe in strange things. These things don’t have to be automaticly really strange like a believe in Aliens but it also shows how implausible it is for so many people that abuse is existing and moreover unexpressed. Furthermore, the comparision of Aliens and abusers in the movie is a very good idea because the director used similary pictures or settings to express the squalidness and scabbiness of rapists.

As the explained topic implies it is hard to watch this movie but simultaneously it flows by like the wind through the leaves of a tree in a hot summer night. In Germany, nobody would be able to produce such a movie. Everybody would take it too seriously so that the whole story would come out like a cord around your neck. It is still this cord but without this pressure that won’t let you sleep afterwards. The movie shows it in this easiness like it is treated in reality. Nobody really can handle it right. And thats why is is such a good movie. With this movie you have to go one even if it is hard. You have to stand it. You simply have to. And you will because the two boys in the story have to too.

In sum this movie stands out but can also be seen as the antipode of “The Woodsman” with Kevin Bacon. Both movies deal with the difficult matter of pedophiles. In the “Woodsman” Walter (K.Bacon) will be released from prison and has to face the world. He is still accused by his environment but tries to be better. The latter movie shows us the side of the abuser and in “Mysterious skin” we see the side of the kids and their suffering through their furture life. Both movies are as much as important as controversial but one thing has to be said: These movies have to be produced due to their secrecy and significance.