Under the Skin’s use of Non-Actors

As we began to explore in class, Jonathon Glazer, to the best of his ability, implements a level of attempted reality in his films. In The Zone of Interest, Glazer used secret cameras and microphones to keep actors from acting in a certain direction, worrying about their positioning, etc. The sense of realism is extremely effective in the film, as it allows us to understand the fact that the Höss family, and especially Rudolf, were real people and not just puppets of the system following orders. Rudolf was a real individual who understood the implications of his actions and carried them out anyway. I believe that although some people criticize the film for being too sympathetic towards the family, the hidden microphones and cameras actually contribute to the better understanding of their atrocities. Glazer’s desire to attain a real, untouched feeling that distances itself from “acting” extends past The Zone of Interest, as his 2013 film Under the Skin actually takes it a step further. Under the Skin is an unsettling horror film starring Scarlett Johansson. The reason that the film is so unsettling is that many of the characters were being played by people who didn’t know they were being filmed. The film follows an alien (played by Scarlett Johansson) as she seduces and captures unsuspecting men (played by non-actors)

This 1 minute 38 second long interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8MbvKqHWM0) with Jonathon Glazer breaks down an individual scene in which Scarlett Johansson interacts with real people walking down a Glasgow street. Glazer describes his reasoning of using non-actors as to show “human kindness and how we help each other up when we fall”. However, another reason for his use of non-actors is to show human temptation and how easily we are willing to give into it. This is interesting to me because it is clearly mirrored in The Zone of Interest. I think a large part of why Glazer used similar techniques in The Zone of Interest was to establish an unsettling sense of kindness and family values that exist within the Höss family, but then at its core, the realism that exists within the Höss home also shows how unforgiving their actions are. So the realism that Glazer implements in both films demonstrates the double-edged sword that is humanity.