Jonathan Glazer on Under The Skin | Film4 Interview Special 

Dear Jonathan Glazer...please make another film, it's unfair just having three wonderful films and a few ads from such a great mind.

I’m a horror fan; I’ve seen nearly every horror film worth seeing and many more besides. And the scene where Johannsen’s character dispassionately ignores the baby crying alone on the beach in the middle of the night was the most horrifying thing I’ve seen in decades. Few directors would have the balls to put that in their final cut.

Still remember the collective gasp in the theater when that first human gets...compacted. Film ain't dead. Lost count of the times I've returned to this interview. A master, discoursing unpretentiously about his craft.

This guy is absolutely off his rocker, mad. I wish we had more madmen like this in film.

Dear Jonathan Glazer, please make more movies. Sincerely, humanity.

I live in Glasgow. When I started watching the film I was immediately struck by how REAL the city looked. Listening to this interview, I can say the director achieved exactly was he was aiming for. Fascinating film overall.

I fucking loved this movie. PUT ME IN A TRANCE. Powerful film making!

This film really hit me. I return to it again and again. It is frightening, it is fascinating, and there are many moments that leave you with this sinking feeling in your stomach.

This movie was so incredibly refreshing, I don't remember being blown away by anything on film in the last couple of years. Yes, the pacing didn't seem quite right near the ending of the film. Yes, the narrative felt disjoined at times, in my case I did miss the purpose of some scenes, and was lost at times (in retrospect the story was completely coherent, and constructed wonderfully). Regardless, the film captured me, both from a visual standpoint, as well as intellectually. It kept me asking, reiterating what I had seen for days after watching it. Judging from this interview, Glazer is a director who does not set out to tell a story in an appealing, likeable sort of way. He actually thinks about what it is that a film must do conceptually, how to get the viewer to watch humanity from the films perspective, rather then their own. To me, that is the sign of a master at work. I am more than excited to see what Glazer comes up with next.

Total genius, the whole team. I can't remember the last time a film caused such an effect in my brain.

I couldn't stop thinking of her for days. The being beneath

Watched it this evening and I'm still reeling from the impact. It's rare to experience this awesome feeling from a movie. I'd be interested in reading the book now.

"Under the Skin" is a remarkable film. Jonathan Glazer's interview is a rare glimpse into the mind of a director as he struggles to realize his vision. His sensibility is dead on and his observations on collaboration reveal secrets of the craft. You will learn more about film making here than in freshman year at film school. My favorite part was when he said he didn't want to see anything alien in the film. To suggest is to create. To describe is to destroy. Film making is all about sensibility.

This film really creep-ed me out. It also reminded me of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining, mostly due to the music but also because of the style of cinematography. It was as disturbing as it was visually stunning. The message of the film is something I believe we lack more and more as a species as time goes on and is a bit refreshing. Not entirely original however at the same time it is unique.

This guy is really articulate and thoughtful.

PLEASE make another movie, Jonathan. Don't stop.

He only made three movies?! I just watched all three of them AND I WANT MORE!!! MORE MOVIES BY Jonathan Glazer!!!

What a fascinating monologue on the process of putting together a great film. It's nice to hear Glazer mention Kubrick when speaking about sound design.

This film is in my humble opinion one of the best films of the past twenty years. It's a work of true brillance and Scarlett Johansson's cental performance is otherworldly and simply chilling.

Words you want to quote: That curve is the right angle. So astonishing to learn that a film which owns a large part of its fame to the music in it, in a first draft, was conceived to go a long time without any music at all. Levi, of course, in their first scoring for film (now with more great scores, though very recognisable in style) came out as a heaven sent.

I only watched the film last night on streaming (1/5/19) and am absolutely blown away. I've bought the score on iTunes, I'm probably gonna buy the Blu-Ray. I've ordered the book at the library. I'm fascinated by this story and its implications and no doubt endless interpretations. But my one - literal one - criticism of the film was its pacing, so it's very interesting to hear Glazer speak about "make the point and move on". I was never bored, I must say, and it's also refreshing to hear he always intended to visit the Black Space thrice, because I did catch myself thinking "I hope this film isn't just her luring men there over and over", and it's not. The first is establishing what she's doing. The second is seeing it from the victim's perspective and what the process is. The third is the refusal. Unlike 2001, which I continued to think about while watching the film, the pacing of Under the Skin didn't do the film or this viewer any favours. In 2001, the pacing allows you to absorb everything and digest; Kubrick made sure you and the film were on the same page, whereas, as much as it hurts me to say, the pacing in UTS felt luxuriant. There were many shots I felt, as a filmmaker, could have been trimmed. Does this stop me loving this movie? Fuck no. It's definitely in my top 10 movies of all time, if not top five. I'm moved, touched, affected and bowled over by this masterpiece, and my differing perspective of pacing to Glazer's is an important part of the discussion we have with the filmmakers through their films. A film isn't a statement, it's an icebreaker for a conversation that lasts a lifetime.

I loved the movie and this interview made me appreciate it a 100 times more!

ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS I'VE EVER SEEN......ARTISTICALLY,I PUT IT UP THERE WITH 2001,INLAND EMPIRE,THE SHINING AND AKIRA.....I THINK IT'S THAT GOOD........IT'S AN INTRIGUING,HEARTBREAKING,ATMOSPHERIC MASTERPIECE.....YOU KNOW,I JUST WATCHED THE REVENANT....LEO AND TOM R GREAT IN IT......I THINK,SIMPLY PUT...IT'S ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME....AS GOOD AS IT WAS,I LIKE UNDER THE SKIN MORE.....THE DEEP, INTELLECTUAL ARTISTRY IN THIS FILM ALMOST KILLED ME....IT WAS LIKE BEING UNDER HYPNOSIS RIGHT UP TILL THE CREDITS ROLLED...LIKE, I CAN'T EVEN BLINK WHILE WATCHING UNDER THE SKIN...MY EYES GET DRY,BECAUSE I LITERALLY,DON'T BLINK ...THE FIRST 6 MINUTES ALONE DESERVE AN OSCAR,THE FIRST 6 MINUTES IS LIKE THE MOST ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL CINEMA U COULD POSSIBLY SPEND YOUR TIME WATCHING.....I DON'T THINK FILM GETS MUCH BETTER THAN THAT.....GOD BLESS JONATHAN GLAZER

A rare example or art horror film (well not particularly comes under horror genre). This film's not a typical alien-human movie we've all seen in nonsensical action flicks. A film depicts what real beauty really means (not some skinny show but rather the inner beauty)

I think 'Under the Skin' and 'Only Lovers Left Alive' are probably the two best films of this past year. Thankfully there are still artists left alive in this medium of excessive explosions, buddy comedies and dance offs.

Such a thought provoking and completely absorbing film. And I’m sure a film student at any top film school could learn more about the thought process behind amazing filmmaking in this mere 22 minute breakdown by Glazer than they could in a half a dozen film classes combined.

The way seemingly every guy snuck or outright turned to check out Johansson was frightening in the way a dreamer's subconscious would turn on the characters in Inception was frightening. The fact that these were real people acting naturally made it doubly so. They were these blank stares too, which made them look menacing. The actual encounters she had, that I remember, were nicer, which made it even scarier, because you saw the mask politeness puts on sexual desire. Everyone characterizes sexual desire as hot and passionate, but in reality it's initially cold and calculating. Not many movies reveal as much as this one.

The unsettling Beach family notwithstanding- the film is great and clever looking through an Alien changing in another world. Bravo Mr Glazer and all. It will take me a while before I view it again however...

understated work that reminded me of both Tarkovskii and Kubrick. but mostly jonathan glazer and johannsen. the backyard scene in Solaris.

Best sci-fi horror movie since Alien.

Fantastic movie and amazing soundtrack

This is a film for film fans.Then general public isn't sharp enough to appreciate the artistry.It wasn't very entertaining to me at times but I recognize this is the work of a true Artist

It's the most Kubrickian dream-logic/nightmarish films conceived this century. Astonishing!

My favourite movie of all time.

He’s a visionary and one of the best directors working today

It's a privilege to hear an artistic genius discussing the creative process behind a work. Kudos.

I thought this was a fantastic film. It is very unusual that a sci-fi/horror film will draw me into the cinema but the trailer for this was too powerful to ignore and I was not disappointed. Brilliant use of subtlety that films of this genre seem to so rarely possess.

One of my very favorite movies. Brilliant!

Under The Skin is one of the first films I've deeply enjoyed in years. This interview complements the film so well as a brief manual on how to make a film that is pared down to its best bits.

This film and Ex Machina are just brilliant examples of what British cinema can achieve with the correct backing! I'm bored of 'Paddington'-esque Britain and loved how artistic and experimental these films are. Please give us more!

I can see how Jonathan Glazer made the film on the fly with a loose structure and left himself open during the process. I don’t think a film like this could have been made if everything was cast in stone from the get go. Fortunately, Glazer’s instincts paid off and he created a brilliant film. It certainly wasn't what I expected, which was icing on the cake.

This guy has an amazing balance of intelligence and creativity

This movie got under my skin.

One of the best films I've ever seen. I love it so

Glazer is one of the best directors we have, despite having a low output. I love what he says about how he wanted this film to keep moving without giving the viewer time to ponder or react to things happening on screen. That's a very rare thing in film now, where directors don't baby their audience. The vast majority of directors want to spoon feed every little thought into our minds as if we were stupid, where Glazer prefers to let the viewer do all the mental legwork.

One of the Great British films - up there with Lawrence of Arabia, The Third Man, Brief Encounter, Trainspotting, etc.

glazer's process is so meticulous and this made under the skin the brilliant masterpiece of mind-warping narrative and both seductive and disturbing imagery that it is

This is a great interview. It seems like Jonathan Glazer is a big picture thinker and an external processor. This is refreshing to see that. I am the same way. As an artist and animator I am finding it tricky to nail down what Im trying to portray when I approach a project. This interview is helpful in seeing how someone with a similar way of thinking goes about that process.

This is simply a Masterpiece

Amazing film...Makes me wish a was a Film maker. Congrats to you Jonathan Glazer.

I loved this movie, I watched 2x's in a row to get ALL the little nuances. Excellent work.

Simply Complex film… and Director … love it

this guy really knows what he is doing.

Just saw this movie, and what a masterpiece of film in almost every aspect: story, characters, effects, composition, cinematography, music, pacing, and the overall feel. It's hard to believe that this barely made an impact in the industry considering the scope of the project. This film addresses a different kind of horror, not a jump-scare horror, but an accumulative slow build horror that makes it feel real. The film having some heavy subject matter, but it is an excellent movie.

The music really draws you in. I found the selection of this composer very impressive and interesting for the movie. It is the thing that really makes the movie. Spooky thing of it is the concept could be real considering we have reptoids posing as humans deceiving the real human for capture and food. I also think the interview of this man, Jonathan Glazer, is interesting to watch. Even though he is grabbing at words and concepts. His hair is amazing and good-looking face.

Great insight here!

This film falls in the same category as tarkovky's stalker. Almost everything is humanly and takes place in earth but at the very same time everything looks alien. Such a hard thing to achieve.

For me the film and the book were very different but both totally fabulous, loved them both.

Film of the year...easily.

The one thing I noticed in the movie is that the clear distinction between paid actors and people unaware they are being filmed, and then realizing the very moment they started acting because they were disclosed they were being filmed, signed a form, paid and then started acting in the next scene, like that first guy walking in the liquid. It's the same feeling when there's very realistic CGI human, like in star wars, but at the same time you can still tell it's not a real human. Regardless how good the actor and the director is, you can never get a real life like feel unless you film people with hidden cameras, why is that, I don't know but it's fascinating.

Under The Skin has a cult movie qualities. Watched it in Electric Cinema Nottinghill on leather sofas and didn't want it to end. magnificent, this is a very serious film, although it frightened me for days but the fear was more like fearing the unknown and as the shock wore off, other emotions kick in. it truly pictures how we can be seen by another creature and how what they do or have can seem to us. it was like a reality show, every moment was unexpected and hard to guess like wondering in a new place where everything is unfamiliar but love to explore it (even if its urban scotland:-). and I think the floating men in the "black unknown "are used for making outer human coat for the bikers!

Brilliantly done! This movie stuck with me long after seeing it. The strange mood and feelings it gives off is sign of an excellent flick....and movies like that are hard to come by now-a-days. It opens up creativity.....I cannot praise it enough.

A Masterpiece!!!

This really is a special, special film...bound to be talked about for decades to come for its intensity, horror and absurdity

Rambling man. Wonderful movie.

one of my fave movies ever, like kubrick made alien

he's like a mad genius

Masterpiece. Truly. It'll put you in a trance. The soundtrack is one of the absolute best you'll hear in a film.

I put this in the genre I call quiet films. No over drama or stupid music or unnecessary scenes to keep your attention. Just a film. Very good film

This is very different from the book, after reading it I was amazed at the amount of work that must have gone into this adaption.

Loved it.

genius film :) I hope more of this kind of movies will be made...

Saw this movie couple of times, loved it, can't praise the cast enough, it's as perfect as you can get, casting Ms Scarlett Johansson to play alien (technically she plays alien automaton) is like casting actual alien to play alien, cuz... She looks like a fucking alien. It's brilliant.

masterpiece....

Amazing film.

just seen this film....now...as a huge film fan im gonna be totally honest here ok... this film was without a doubt the most disturbing film ive ever seen.... I thought the film itself was excellent but it was stuck in my head for ages after.... one of the most realistic alien movies ive seen....ive never seen anything like it...scarlett Johansson is brilliant in it...even though she doesn't talk for most of the film....the harvest scenes were really fucked up...was filmed amazingly...made me feel really unesasy but u know the film is doing a good job if it has you that way..so I loved this film and will definatly watch it again at some stage.

I love his mind and his voice

Best film of the XXIst century!

2001 vibes....love it

Just saw it tonight in Notting Hill. I liked quite a lot of it, thought it was really good up to about 80 minutes when suddenly I felt like it wasn't moving forward quick enough, too many repeats of events. Also, the final reveal was perhaps a bit too on the nose. The rest of the movie is so abstract, it was weird to go slightly Hollywood and have it right there.

I ended up here after watching this movie to find out what I had watched as the reviews were so polarised. I can't say I liked the movie much but I have to give the director the nod for having the balls to stick to his vision.

Jonathan is like a shaman in filmmaking realm

I was like 21 when this came out and I had to sleep with the hall light on for the night haha. Such a CREEPY weird movie. LOVE it.

I watched this movie today at the end of January 2022 for a second time. I had forgotten a lot of it. The alien's observational behavior and lack of empathy made me think of how the ruling power now seems to be looking at the world's population during this so-called "health crisis." In the film you see how the alien looks at the ordinary people in the city and this made me think about how maybe the elite look at us ordinary people nowadays. Without empathy and as makeable meat bags, as cattle, which only cost money. A very derogatory view of fellow human beings. With an almost equal degree of absence of empathy, the entire ideology of eugenics has continued to exist. People who openly say without hesitation that the world's population should be drastically reduced and that this can now be done with the help of the so-called "vaccines" [ the ingredients of which were immediately declared secret ]. A relatively small proportion of these people belong to the oligarchy, who must be so extremely inhumane as to get their plans realized on a global scale. They have turned the financial system into an immensely large casino and it has gotten completely out of hand. In order to be able to protect themselves in particular, they have to work in an almost alien way. And they are in a hurry [ which leads to more and more mistakes ]. That's why this film gave me an extra dimension of dehumanity if you look at it during this financial crisis, in which dehumanization plays a very big role in every conceivable area. All the plans of the current elite must be carried out at all costs, otherwise they themselves are the bobbin. And I say: They will be the losers, because they have overlooked the elementary characteristics of man and the insane power that lies within it. Plus the fact that you can never use the entire planet as a big test station, despite all the technology. Now we can already see that things are going wrong on more and more fronts. So watching this marvelous film during the current crisis makes it even weirder.

Jonathan glazer is an underrated filmmaker. For me,he is on same level of NOLAN,DENIS VILLNEUVE. JONATHAN GLAZER IS A GOAT🐐🐐🐐

Movies exist not only for the individual, but because the contemporary mind is capable of forming structure between inconsistencies, even when visual elements are greatly set in stone. The director even said that he wrote it to the specifics of the book before he delineated and followed emotion. One comment on this upload said watch the movie before you read. That makes sense to do for people who have not read the book, because it would give them an understanding of their personal canvas for this story.

Man when they show the dudes under the black goopy goop and the one dude gets edified by the alien thing those images burn into your mind and they know it haha. I like when film reads to you- nothing needs to be said it all speaks in your head.

Emotions are infectious 🤔

Great film.

Poor guy, his brilliant mind is so bursting with creativity that he can barely get a sentence out before he's on to the next thought, or next 2 thoughts, as they begin to pile up on each other. He spoke a lot of the construction of the film, which makes sense as the director, but I was surprised he didn't speak about any kind of interpretation. As a formerly young and beautiful woman who experienced men reacting to me like they did to Scarlett in the film, to me this showed really well how men can become like sexual sociopaths in the presence of someone to whom they are intensely attracted. They don't care even if she barely speaks, acted strange, where she's from or want to know anything about her. Just that she's pretty and there might be a potential for a very superficial physical encounter. They're willing to go off with someone they don't know, get in a sketchy van and go to some dark place, put themselves in danger, just for that fix. It's literally a skin deep interest. There were kind men in the movie, or even some of the men who ended up being skeevy behaved kindly, until sexual desire took over and they became animalistic. So during the assault scene, the reveal of something sinister under the skin felt like a revenge movie, like an alternative consequence of only relating to someone base don their outer appearance. It also sort of showed how humans can be as predators with animals, like showing no empathy or concern for a suffering child, the way a human would go and get their meat and not worry about the animal's abandoned babies or their pain, just because they think they need to eat them. It wasn't about aliens but about men and women, and how inhuman people can become when they are disconnected form their souls, emotions and a loving desire rather than an unloving one.

Jonathan said that he started with the idea that aliens exist. To start from there, is brave, in my opinion.

Under the Skin will eventually be viewed as one of the greatest films of the century. Glazer's description of his process as the director tells you why. I think any memorable work of art moves to a point of simplicity, as he states, but fuck...what it takes to get there.

Como eu queria que tivesse legendas português Br...eu adoro esse diretor!

Just finished the book. It was very good. Having said that, this is one of the rare cases where the film version is far superior. They take very different approaches, but what the film does, for me, far surpasses what the book achieved.

He says that he wanted to film "nobody" for the authenticity of the film, but it was almost a stellar choice to have filmed Scarlett Johansson, because it's a far cry from her usual roles.. her barely acting wherein many other films she's acted as a character with immense dynamicism on terms of reactions to situations, emotional turmoil, so forth-the gap of separation between actress and role is obvious, and the unobtrusively barren scope of acting is huge. Seeing the face of a person you know who smiles, cries, becomes angered, experiences the human existence as we do-shift to a total apathetic entity observing mundanity without any internal stimuli is scary, to me. The lack of stir of the human spirit made the film tense, especially filming in the real world. Good show, Jonathan Glazer. Please make more films.

She shouldn’t have died at the end in my humble opinion. She was learning empathy and compassion. When she dies immediately after learning she doesn’t live long enough to live from the stance of empathy and compassion. The movie remains one of my favorites nonetheless. Jonathan...if you took out three hours to spend with me I would share something that could possibly change your life forever and you would make a part Il of Skin Deep. I make this promise to you. Perhaps not a part two. Perhaps you will start doing documentaries. Take out time to think about what I’m trying to express without saying it directly. Your movie is so close to the...

Under The Skin > Ex Machina. The former is far more thought provoking, and ambitious whereas the latter is nothing more than a hyped up, poorly executed story based off a "trendy" concept (A.I. taking over.) This is a film and a director that people will be looking into and still talking about, generations from now. A modern day classic along with Enter The Void, that will only be truly appreciated in the future.

The score in under the skin was so disorienting. What a unique film that was. And if it ever happened for real, I know I’d be in that liquid in a heartbeat.😂😂😂 Scarlet was stunning in that.

Under the Skin is a surreal dream. A film made with £8m/$13m. Made on a shoestring. It's not about the budget, it's about the creativity. What a movie.

This and Ex Machina, two amazing films that would be hard to get made today.