I just finished watching Mysterious Skin and I’m speechless. Greg Araki created such a beautiful, raw, and poignant film that I will definitely remember. The acting was spot on and the cinematography suited the story perfectly. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get a around to viewing it. The end hits extremely cold and hard, especially with Sigur Ros’s classic “Samskeyti” ushering in the credits, and I found myself wide-eyed and open-mouthed for a good minute. There were tears involved.
More than anything, I felt an overwhelming nostalgia throughout the film about my own childhood. How many things have happened during that time that I don’t even recall? How many friends have I made and then subsequently forgotten? What would it be like to see them again? There are so many bits of the past that I’d like to revisit, write down, remember. If only I knew then how much I’d miss them now.
Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd do an excellent job in generating the at-once stark & lush mood of Mysterious Skin with their masterful score. A great musical accompaniment to such an introspective film. Here are three songs from my not-so-distant past to support my wistful thinking:
- Death Cab For Cutie – Lack of Color
- Sufjan Stevens – Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
- The Incredible Moses Leroy – The Fourth of July
Serious Drawings
Whether on paper, post-its, or mouse traps these wonderful works by Marc Johns had me smiling all day. I love their simplistic humour and the wonderful watercolor textures. I’m definitely going to be ordering some prints and possibly a signed copy of his book, if I’m lucky! Don’t you just love the dapper, Thom Browne-esque looking gentlemen in these illustrations?
From Marc’s website:
Find out more about Marc and his body of work here!