Critic Reviews

Mysterious Skin (2005) Rank 3 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Mysterious Skin (2005) a score of 2.9186 out of 4
based on (29) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
2
Good
(5)
1
Fair
(1)
Poor
0
Poor
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.32 out of 4 stars for Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)
Mysterious Skin dawdles more than it flows, but it comes alive whenever Araki, hovering between tragedy and voyeurism, reveals how sex can tear lives to pieces. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.32 out of 4 stars for Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (Dennis Lim)Village Voice (Dennis Lim)
With remarkable directness and composure, it shatters the myth of childhood innocence and the deathless taboo of prepubescent sexuality. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Village Voice (Dennis Lim)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
It's hard to imagine a more serious or persuasive indictment of the horrors inflicted on children by sexual abuse than Mysterious Skin. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kevin Thomas)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for LA Weekly (Ella Taylor)LA Weekly (Ella Taylor)
A warped, but beautiful and strangely hopeful, coming-of-age tale. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at LA Weekly (Ella Taylor)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Desson Thomson)Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
A helter-skelter ride of the soul, an unblinking, white-knuckle crash landing into the mushy mysteries of the subconscious. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
A startling portrayal of how the cycle of abuse plays itself out in the lives of its victims. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Mysterious Skin bears all of Araki's hallmarks, from its stylish compositions and lush colors to its willingness to confront difficult subject matter head-on. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
A deft, affecting drama about childhood sexual abuse and its lifelong scars. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
The film is actually a major artistic breakthrough for Araki, a onetime bad boy of independent filmmaking. Its psychological intelligence, attention to emotional currents, and humanity are surprises. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Boston Globe (Wesley Morris)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
An absorbing story. Even though it takes you to places you may not want to go, the film never loses its human touch--that feel of skin on skin or of the past inescapably invading the present. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Leah McLaren)The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Leah McLaren)
Unlike Todd Solondz's "Happiness," Mysterious Skin is not an abuse movie that seeks to offend or upset. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Leah McLaren)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Salon.com (Stephanie Zacharek)Salon.com (Stephanie Zacharek)
Mysterious Skin isn't a picture about existential vacancy; it isn't even about anything so simplistic as the horrors of child abuse. It's more of a meditation on the necessity of making your way past, or through, any obstacle that prevents you from being ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Salon.com (Stephanie Zacharek)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for TV Guide (Ken Fox)TV Guide (Ken Fox)
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. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at TV Guide (Ken Fox)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Variety (David Rooney)Variety (David Rooney)
By turns spiky and lyrical, this unsettling drama will be anathema to many audiences, but is bound to be a provocative, talked-about release. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at Variety (David Rooney)
Mysterious Skin (2005) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)
Only half a great movie, because the other half follows a separate but related thread that isn't nearly as compelling. ...read the complete Mysterious Skin movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)
 
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Mysterious Skin (2005) Reviews
Mysterious Skin (2005)

RANKINGS:

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
2.6618
Mysterious Skin (2005) is ranked overall as  out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
2.9186
Mysterious Skin (2005) is ranked overall as  out of 4 stars
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