Alien in the Mirror

Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Glazer, and Under the Skin

By: Maureen Foster

Narrated by: Maureen Foster

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) and starring Scarlett Johansson, the 2013 film Under the Skin contains elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and thriller. Arguably the most compelling of Johansson's career, the movie follows a unique tale of one woman's journey to self-discovery.

This is the first audiobook to be made about the quiet masterpiece, revisiting the film scene-by-scene through all its cinematic elements. Extensive interviews detail the challenges the filmmakers faced, from hidden filming on the streets of Glasgow to defying a blizzard in the Scottish Highlands. Listeners are invited to explore connections between the movie and its science fiction cousins and discover the reasons why Under the Skin deserves to find a wider audience.

©2019 Maureen Foster (P)2023 Maureen Foster

A true sci-if experience

Apart from The Twilight Zone, I’m not necessarily a huge sci-fi fan, but I got hooked on Under the Skin after watching it three times, and a sci-fi friend told me about this book. I enjoyed reading the print version, and the scene-by-scene narrative added so much to my appreciation of the movie. I found the writing to be smart and absorbing but not overly technical or scholarly, and I had a hard time putting it down. You can tell the author did serious research and has an affection for the subject matter. Beyond the movie, there’s a lot of detail about moviemaking in general, and fun insight into how things get done in Hollywood. Recommended if you are a film fan or an aspiring filmmaker, and a must if you’re a fan of the movie.

After reading the book, I watched Under the Skin again, and wanted to go back to the book to fill in some information on a few of the scenes I wasn’t too sure I understood. This time I got the Audible version so I could listen on my dog walks, and because I always like audio books read by their authors. I did gain more insight on the second read, and once again appreciated Foster’s in-depth breakdown of the story and scenes. It really is a unique work of science fiction and it’s too bad the movie was under watched and under appreciated. I hope that changes someday.

an inspiring love letter to cinema

This is not your grandparents' film book. This is a true work of investigative journalism that covers every level of this film: from the making of, to an analysis, to its reception, and beyond. Foster is high level. This book is for anyone who loves movies. This is for anyone who's seen this film and knew it was something special but didn't quite know why. Or did know why but didn't know how to say it. Or thought it was terrible but you're open to getting your mind changed/blown. This is a master class in how to truly pay attention and think about a movie, in a culture where people are typically on their phones while they "watch" whatever is streaming. Thank you, Foster, for this truly inspiring love letter to cinema. I feel like I will be paying so much more attention now.

Alien under a microscope!

This is an in-depth look at the making of Scarlett Johansson’s Under the Skin. It’s a deep dive into the origin of the story and how it was turned into a movie. What’s unusual about the film is that some of it was improvised, and the author carefully documents the steps the director and the crew had to take in order to integrate an A-list actress with non-actors who didn’t know they were being filmed. A fascinating experiment, told here in great detail.

Great book, but ruined by poor performance

I liked this one a lot, but the narration was painful in parts—stuttering, swallowing, page-turning, and mistakes… drastically lowered the production value and frustrated me as a listener. Just like a book has to get edited and spell-checked, so, too, should an audio version go through quality control.
I should have read the book because I liked the contents.