Mysterious Skin

Friday, March 11 - Saturday, April 2, 2022

DCP Projection

Staff Pick! Chosen by Collin who says: “My favorite film by Gregg Araki – it’s audacious and perfectly made.”

Two young men are haunted by similar events from their past, though the effects manifest themselves in very different ways, in this powerful drama from independent filmmaker Gregg Araki. In the summer of 1981, Brian (George Webster) and Neil (Chase Ellison) are both eight years old and playing on the same little league baseball team in a small Kansas town. One day, after a game, Brian blacks out after getting caught in a rainstorm, and five hours later he finds himself sitting in his basement with his nose bleeding and no memory of what happened to him. Over the years, the event — particularly the missing five hours — weigh heavily on his mind, and he becomes convinced that he was kidnapped by space aliens. Neil is contacted by Brian, who after seeing one of their team photos from their days in little league suspects he might have some clues as to what happened to him in 1981.

“A complex and challenging emotional experience.” – Roger Ebert

• Year 2004
• Running Time 107 minutes
• Distributor Strand Releasing
• Director Gregg Araki
• Cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Crobet, Michelle Trachtengberg, Elisabeth Shue
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.