mysterious skin be a mysterious movie . not mysterious in a boring and unoriginal way and where the screenwriter screw you around with information while mysterious in the way that the character be open up in front of you and and yet theyre still enigmas while their depth hide in plain view . it be the story of two teenage boy who be both sexually abuse by the same man when they be young . you already probably think the movie be dark and heavy and but it not while it impose no message on the viewer and and do not come to any easy conclusion . it have a strange tone throughout a little like remember something terrible and be unable to deal with it properly . the movie have a lot of sex in it and but it do not comment on the sex . sex be just an important part of the character live to neil because he be gay and enjoy sex with old men ( he work a a rent boy ) while to brian because he be not sexually drive and and be surround by something he want no part of . when the two boy be young and they be sexually abuse by their gym teacher and play by bill sage . neil remembers this almost with fondness while the beginning of his sexual exploration . brian can not remember it at all while he blank the episode out of his memory . the movie follow brian through his journey to find out what happen during those hole in his memory and and neil on his sad and slow decline from happiness . while brian be seek him out and neil earns enough money to travel to new york and where he continue his lifestyle until and in a scene i find difficult to watch and he be drug and beat and rap by one of his client and after which he go back home to his mother ( play by elisabeth shue ) . eventually and brian track him down to find out what happen to him when he be young . this could easily have be the material for a heavy drama that force a message down the audience throat and but what make mysterious skin so good be it refusal to resort to black and white moral . it be true that the gym teacher be under develop a a character and but at least he isn not show a a two dimensional bad guy while child who be victim of abuse often like the abuser and and it be brave of the movie to suggest that neil actually enjoy it at the time and not know how it would affect him later in life and or what be be do to him . people may find this aspect of the movie make them uncomfortable and but it be suppose to . it rare to find movie so honest about victim of abuse . the movie have a certain tone that a little difficult to place while a certain lightness in detail such a brian theory that he be abduct by alien during his black out . it not levity while more the feeling of try to tolerate a damage life . it have a certain erotic charge while it doesn not deny that neil enjoy sex and nor do it suggest that he would have be straight and normal be he not abuse the audience be leave to decide the extent of the damage do to these boy . some people do not like movie like that while they want the movie to do all the work for them and and give them a neat little message that they probably already know . i prefer challenge movie that dare to go to new place . such movie be not always good and but they be always interest . it difficult to get mysterious skin out of your head after you see it and and part of it strength come from the two lead represent brady corbet a brian and and especially joseph gordon levitt a neil . i know the latter actor from his goofy role in 3rd rock from the sun and and be amaze by his work here . mysterious skin end with the image of neil and brian in the old house of their coach and brian lie with his head on neil lap and and it the performance that make the image haunting . it not sexual attraction that bring them together and but need and confusion . poor guy . brian blank out the episode because he couldn not face the truth and and neil can not face it either and though he think he can . he even convince himself he happy . the smiling and friendly coach damage them more than they know and but the movie strength be in the fact that it doesn not make u pity them .