the movie "Mysterious Skin", and over-doing the SHOCK

[Qdrop]

good story and strong acting and all that...
lots of critical acclaim...

but that movie could seriously pass for gay porn AND child porn...

it was WAY more explicit and disturbing than necessary...to the point of, dare i say, self indulgence by the director.
i question his morality somewhat.

i understand wanting to shock your audience a little, and really hit them with the disturbing truth, so they "really understand how it is" and all that.
but some of those scenes where so disturbing...jesus, i felt like I was abused after that movie.

too much.

where should we draw the line at disturbing/shocking cinema...particularly on subject matter like gay hustling, rape, and child sex abuse?

[DipDipDive]

I haven't seen the movie in question, but I know what you're saying. There's a point where that kind of content becomes excessive and almost diverts the attention from the message.

The best example of this for me is The Passion of the Christ. I know that it was meant to be a realistic depiction of the crucifixion and all that shit, but I felt like the violence and horrific gore was so unnecessary, and that stuff generally doesn't even bother me. It was almost as if it was excused and accepted as being a plot element in the film merely because the content was biblical, which to me is retarded. Parents who don't allow their kids to listen to rap probably insisted that they see that movie, which makes no sense to me at all.

So my input, as per usual, is useless. Carry on.

[DipDipDive]

I will say though that if a movie is about the evils of sexual abuse, that kind of material should be expected. In a way, I think that it should be depicted realistically if that's the focus of the plot, but I can't say for sure whether it's been overdone because I haven't seen the movie.

[Qdrop]

I will say though that if a movie is about the evils of sexual abuse, that kind of material should be expected. In a way, I think that it should be depicted realistically if that's the focus of the plot, but I can't say for sure whether it's been overdone because I haven't seen the movie.

showing 8 year olds laying on their backs getting blow-jobs from an adult, while the other kids says "tell him you like, you like it..."

a shot of the guy telling the kids to fuck him in the ass and put dildos in his ass while he moans and orgasms...

sustained shots of a young guy buttfuckin other guy from the rear angle....

sound effects for when the guys come in another guys mouth...

it was porn.
it was too much and unneccessary....

[thegoodmrbrodie!]

i disagree.

[na§tee]

i really enjoyed this movie.
aesthetically and topically, it's the sort of movie i would like to make in my career.
plus joseph gordon-levitt is incredibly hot.

but i was speaking to the dop of red road about it and he said what's the point of making films with characters you have absolutely no sympathy for? and, like you're saying, that some of the violence was just not necessary.

well, first of all i disagree with the lack of sympathy isht. quite the opposite. i feel more sorry for him because he, as a result of the abuse, is a real asshole.

the violence, meh. i think this film is sort of parody in many ways and hence it can get away with it. it wasn't made to be a family film - it was meant to shock. and lots of abuse, i assume, is shocking and unapologetic like the film. i appreciate cinema that pushes buttons, boundaries and extremes. it certainly did all of this.

plus, it is shot beautifully. (y)

[abcdefz]

plus joseph gordon-levitt is incredibly hot.





...I have a feeling you'll faint when you see Brick.


I liked Mysterious Skin quite a bit. I did think it was brutal, but not exploitative, and defnitely not prurient. I think a movie like Kids is closer to being a concern in that matter.

A thing I liked about Mysterious Skin over, say, My Own Private Idaho, was that I don't thing a kid might see MS and think that maybe hustling is a sort of a seedy-romantic way of living.