Under the Skin (2013)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An extraterrestrial disguised as a human preys on lone men in the evening hours in Scotland.
The story
In Glasgow, a motorcyclist retrieves an inert young woman from the roadside and places her in the back of a van, where a naked woman dons her clothes. After buying clothes and make-up at a shopping centre, the woman drives the van from town to town, picking up single men with few friends. She lures a man into a dilapidated house. As he undresses, following the woman into a void, he is submerged in a liquid abyss. The film follows this extraterrestrial entity as she navigates the human world, interacting with various men while maintaining her disguise.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Glasgow, a motorcyclist retrieves an inert young woman from the roadside and places her in the back of a van, where a naked woman dons her clothes. She travels from town to town, picking up single men and luring them into a dilapidated house where they are submerged in a liquid abyss. At a beach, she attempts to pick up a swimmer but is interrupted by a drowning couple; she strikes the swimmer's head and takes him to her van. Later, she visits a nightclub and lures another man into the void, where he sees the swimmer's body. The woman eventually encounters a man with facial tumors, and after a moment of self-reflection, she lets him go. She then travels to the Scottish Highlands, where she is joined by a man who takes her to his home. They share a moment of intimacy before she retreats. Finally, while wandering in a forest, she is cornered by a commercial logger. During a violent struggle, he tears her skin, revealing a featureless body. She escapes his grasp, but he douses her in fuel and burns her alive. The film ends with the motorcyclist looking out across a snowy field.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States; Switzerland
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jonathan Glazer
- Writers
- Walter Campbell · screenplay; Jonathan Glazer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Scarlett Johansson · extraterrestrial; Adam Pearson · man with facial tumours
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- human condition; empathy; identity; gender; alienation
- Tone and mood
- haunting; disturbing; minimalistic
- Premise and plot tags
- sci-fi; alien; body horror; exploration
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2000 novel by Michel Faber
- Reception
- The film was acclaimed for its direction, acting, cinematography, and score, receiving numerous accolades and being featured on several best-of lists, despite being a box-office failure.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 48
- Awards and nominations
- British Film of the Year · London Film Critics Circle Award · win; Best Soundtrack · European Film Award · win; Outstanding British Film · British Academy Film Awards · nomination; Best Original Music · British Academy Film Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was developed for over a decade.; Most of the cast had no acting experience.; Many scenes were filmed with hidden cameras.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…