Mysterious Skin
“Two boys. One can't remember. The other can't forget.”
Synopsis
A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
4K Remaster TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2026-01-26
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Neil McCormick
Brady Corbet
Brian Lackey
Michelle Trachtenberg
Wendy Peterson
Jeffrey Licon
Eric Preston
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Avalyn Friesen
Elisabeth Shue
Mrs. McCormick
Lisa Long
Mrs. Lackey
Bill Sage
Coach
Chase Ellison
Neil (Age 8)
George Webster
Brian (Age 8)
Riley McGuire
Wendy (Age 11)
Rachael Nastassja Kraft
Deborah (Age 12)
Chris Mulkey
Mr. Lackey
David Lee Smith
Alfred
Kelly Kruger
Deborah Lackey
Ryan Stenzel
Stephen Zepherelli
Richard Riehle
Charlie
Larry Marko
Old Man with Scar
Release History & Theatrical Window
Mar del Plata Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
May 6, 2005
Wide Cinema Exhibition
January 20, 2006
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$3M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$2.1M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.72x
-$851K deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Gregg Araki
- Screenplay & Story
- Gregg Araki
- Original Score
- Harold Budd, Robin Guthrie
- Original Title
- Mysterious Skin
- Country of Origin
- United States of America, Netherlands
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 45m
- Production Budget
- $3M
- Worldwide Gross
- $2.1M
- Production Studios
- Desperate Pictures, Fortissimo Films, Antidote Films, Next Wednesday Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki, Scott Heim
Harold Budd, Robin Guthrie
Steve Gainer, Todd Barron, Michael Otano
Gregg Araki
Michael J. Werner, Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Gregg Araki, Wouter Barendrecht, Mary Jane Skalski
Department Leadership Roster
Gregg Araki
Director
Harold Budd
Original Music Composer
Gregg Araki
Screenplay
Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte
Producer
Robin Guthrie
Original Music Composer
Gregg Araki
Producer
Mary Jane Skalski
Producer
Steve Gainer
Director of Photography
Gregg Araki
Editor
Henrik Fett
Visual Effects Supervisor
Mark Driscoll
Visual Effects Supervisor
Lou Simon
Stunt Coordinator
Alix Hester
Costume Design
Devorah Herbert
Production Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 18 — Restricted to adults 18 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 16 ans — 16+ only.
Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Mysterious Skin.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Mysterious Skin.
Letterboxd's Top 250 Films with the Most Fans
Letterboxd's official Top 250 films with the most fans. Letterboxd 官方粉丝最多 Top 250 榜单： 按被平台用户标记为个人主页‘最爱（Favorites）’的数量对剧情长片进行排序的榜单。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:26 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:07 UTC+8)*
My Movies
Master List In Progress
Limelight Not Seen
Favorite Actors
Coming of Age
Similar Titles to Mysterious Skin
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
8.0
7.1
6.1
6.9
7.4
7.1
6.9
6.3
8.0
3.0
7.6
8.1
6.3
5.7
7.3
5.3
6.6
5.0
7.5
More Like Mysterious Skin
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mysterious Skin
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Mysterious Skin about?
A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.
Who directed Mysterious Skin?
Mysterious Skin was directed by Gregg Araki.
Who stars in Mysterious Skin?
The principal cast of Mysterious Skin includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jeffrey Licon, Mary Lynn Rajskub.
When was Mysterious Skin released and how long is it?
Mysterious Skin was released in 2005 with a total runtime of 1h 45m.
What was the box office and production budget of Mysterious Skin?
Mysterious Skin had a reported production budget of $3M and grossed $2.1M at the worldwide box office (0.72 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for Mysterious Skin?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Mysterious Skin was composed by Harold Budd, Robin Guthrie.
Is Mysterious Skin based on a book or true story?
Mysterious Skin is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Scott Heim".
What is the age rating and content advisory for Mysterious Skin?
Mysterious Skin holds official age classifications: DE: 18 (FSK 18 — Restricted to adults 18 and older.); FR: 16 (Interdit aux moins de 16 ans — 16+ only.); GB: 18 (Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).