Mysterious Skin (2004) 8/10

Starring : Brady Corbet, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Bill Sage, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Elisabeth Shue
Director : Gregg Araki
Running Time : 100 mins

Brian Lackey (Corbet) and Neil McCormick (Gordon-Levitt) are two completely different sorts of teenagers, but something that happened to them both when they were both eight years old connects them in a very unpleasant way. Brian believes he was abducted by aliens as a child, due his nose bleeds and black outs, while the other has turned to a life of prostitution after being abused by his little league coach.

This is a clever movie that shows two completely contrasting reactions to child abuse. Both Corbet and Gordon-Levitt are perfectly cast as the leads, both giving great performances in their respective roles, but many might find the subject matter cuts a little close to the bone.

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