In “Under the Skin,” gender roles are reversed.  Scarlett Johansson plays an unnamed alien who takes advantage of men’s carnal desires for her own malicious means. Director Jonathan Glazer may have made a feminist film, but it is far from the kind viewers have come to expect. Nonetheless, the meditative work of science fiction brings up interesting questions about feminism.

Shot in public without telling any of the extras beforehand, the film analyzes the male perception of women and how that perception impacts their trust of women. Are men really that shallow where, in the instant they see a pretty woman, all they can think of is sex? Is the general public more likely to help a woman because she is pretty? Rather than lazily portraying these questions from the perspective of a man who meets this unnamed alien, Glazer takes the artful approach of asking these questions through the eyes of a female, particularly one that is unaware of human interaction because of her extraterrestrial origins.

Over the course of the film, the alien begins to learn more about men’s perception of women, whether through random acts of chivalry or through violence. Viewers learn as well, though what they take away from the film will vary. Glazer’s style is artful and ambiguous, and it surely allows for a number of feminist readings. But no matter what interpretation viewers have, “Under the Skin” is a prime example of how science fiction can explain aspects of human society.

Email Zack Grullon at [email protected].