Sometimes, you like a movie. Sometimes, you’re not sure if you should like a movie. Sometimes, you only like a movie because you feel like you’re supposed to like that movie. Under the Skin seems to fall under that last category.

Under the Skin is the latest film from British director Jonathan Glazer. I am told by people smarter than me that he is a very good director. Some might call him a visionary. While I haven’t seen Birth or Sexy Beast yet, I can get on board with those claims. The guy knows how to frame a shot and tell an entire three act story using barely any dialogue. This is a pretty big feat considering the fact that most sci-fi movies today are bogged down by exposition.

In Under the Skin, the characters have no names and undefined intentions. The plot itself may be a great mystery, but it feels almost secondary in the grand scheme of things. Scarlett Johansson plays some form of alien life form who dons a beautiful female body and an accent and starts praying off unassuming men. So yes, she is basically the villain from Men in Black II.

Under the Skin might best be described as an existential coming-of-age story where the question being answered is “who are we?” instead of “what is up in the night sky?” In fact, Glazer doesn’t even seem that interested in what life is like on other planets. It is never once revealed where this alien came from or why she is here. This is about an alien who has the chance to see life through a person’s eyes and through that, she learns about what it means to be human.

Maybe that is part of my biggest problem with the film. I personally love science fiction that builds a unique and original world. I like when the production design creates as much of a story as the characters do. Glazer has no interest in that. Because of that, I cannot fault him. Under the Skin would only be a failure if it were attempting to do just that. However, Under the Skin would rather be 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Wars.

At times, Under the Skin is able to achieve that. From the Hitchcockian music to the innovative low budget visual effects, it is often mesmerizing. Johansson, meanwhile, does so much with so little. A much talked about nude scene in the film is not there for pure shock value. Here we are, watching an alien try to figure out her body in a way that both scares and frightens her.

Yet, there is still something a little cold and uninviting about Under the Skin. I feel the same way about Under the Skin that I once felt about Drive, a similar film that I have since warmed up to: I admire it more than I love it.

Brain Farts From The Edge

• Parts of this film are essentially a Dali painting come to life. Does that make me sound smart?
• The A24 logo is probably my favorite in the industry right now. Also, while I don’t love every film that they make or distribute *cough Spring Breakers cough* I love the fact that they take big creative risks for big rewards.
• This film deserves a second viewing. I will probably regret many of the things I said in this review in the future.
• Now, just a few more days until Guardians of the Galaxy finally comes out.

Seriously…what’s the deal with babies?! Image via Sundance

Obvious Child has been labeled as “that abortion movie,” which is the equivalent of labeling Trainspotting as “that heroin movie.” Obvious Child is not a film about a controversial topic, it is a film about people dealing with issues and, well, being people.

Obvious Child is the feature film debut of writer-director Gillian Robespierre who, despite sharing the last name of an evil historical figure, has a gentle touch in dealing with tough and sensitive issues. Sometimes, Obvious Child feels so naturalistic that it resembles something that is not even a film at all. It tells the story of Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), a Jewish comedian (I have to point this out, given that this movie is Cultural Judaism incarnate) going through a millennial crisis, which is a midlife crisis that somebody in their 20s might go through. Her stand-up is funny and honest, yet it isn’t getting her much work.

To top it all off, Donna’s boyfriend breaks up with her, after revealing that he has been cheating on her with one of her friends. What a dick. She has just about reached bottom, where her father (Richard Kind, a friendly father figure if I ever did see one) reminds her that sometimes the best creative energy comes from these low moments.

During one of her lower moments, has a one night stand with a stranger named Max (Jake Lacy). The two of them are opposites, to say the least. He is a pair of boat shoes to Donna’s orange crocs. Protection is forgotten and a few pregnancy tests later, Donna discovers that she is pregnant. As quickly as the female characters of Juno and Knocked Up decided to keep their respective babies, Donna decides to get an abortion. Much to my relief, Obvious Child is not a film carrying a big political message along with it. It does explore moral or ethical implications, it is simply about living with making a big decision, which is why it way more than just “that abortion movie.”

Obvious Child is first and foremost a comedy that luckily never uses this issue as a crutch. In fact, it never goes for the easy joke at all. The best comedy comes out of truthfulness, and like Donna, who strives to speak honestly on stage, this film seeks to make us laugh through honest moments. That honesty might come in the form of humiliation, like a poorly timed pee fart, which is amongst the funniest of the fart kingdom. Donna is a comedian and the film contains long stretches of her standup. They are not necessarily to underline a theme like in Seinfeld and Louie. Rather, they show character growth and maturity. In this regard, these moments remind me a lot of the musical numbers in Inside Llewyn Davis.

Perhaps now is the best time to mention Jenny Slate, who kills it as Donna Stern. I wouldn’t be surprised if Slate is playing a bizarro version of herself here, but that doesn’t make her performance any less powerful. Of course she is funny, but she shows the kind of dramatic chops that you would not at all expect from half of Publizity. I am not saying that I doubted Jenny Slate’s talent. What I am saying is that I didn’t expect to watch this film and feel my heart break along with her’s as she stood outside her ex-boyfriend’s house in a desperate act that is both relatable and illogical. Good comedians are funny. Great comedians know the right moment to turn the funny off.

While the writing is fantastic, I think Obvious Child might have been another middling Brooklyn dramedy without Slate’s help. Nonetheless, Obvious Child stands out from the rest of the pack. Many of its scenes run long, but that is because they capture the natural rhythm of conversation. The film is short, but it feels like it ends where it is supposed to end; it never overstays its welcome. A romantic comedy about real world consequences, Obvious Child feels like a fairytale and a nightmare all at once, which I think is the highest possible compliment that I could give it.

Brain Farts From The Edge

• Undateable recently made me realize how much I hate movies and TV shows that are set in lifeless bars. If it were real life, the people that mattered most would be drowned out by a million other noises. Obvious Child makes the home-base bar actually look fun.
• If you want to understand why I like Jenny Slate so much, go watch Kroll Show right now.
• This film deserves way more credit for great writing than I initially realized. There are so many points where it could fall into the indie traps of Brooklyn and the MPDG, but it never does.
• I would love to see a talk show hosted by Richard Kind called “Kind Thoughts.”
• Rock on, A24. They’re having about as good of a year as Phil Lord and Chris Miller are having.
• Obvious Child: Come for the Birthright jokes, stay for the pee farts.