60
By the end of Mysterious Skin, I felt physically exhausted but I also felt satisfied at the way it all falls into place.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
The New York Times by Dana Stevens
A gorgeous, heartbreaking and utterly convincing work of art.
70
By turns spiky and lyrical, this unsettling drama will be anathema to many audiences, but is bound to be a provocative, talked-about release.
100
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
This thoughtful, troubling drama is leagues above the sensationalistic stuff Araki peddled in earlier films.
80
With remarkable directness and composure, it shatters the myth of childhood innocence and the deathless taboo of prepubescent sexuality.
63
New York Daily News by Jack Mathews
A well-conceived story that is very hard to shake.
70
It's an ideal collaboration: A stylish director desperately seeking substance transforms the first, somewhat flat novel of a promising young writer into powerful and brutally honest film about a highly controversial subject.
88
Not for the squeamish, but it is a beautifully crafted and thoughtful film that genuinely provokes.
40
The Hollywood Reporter by Ray Bennett
Dull film about pedophilia that fails to shed any light on the topic.
70
Only half a great movie, because the other half follows a separate but related thread that isn't nearly as compelling.