A slight deviation from normal blog post themes...

Went to see Greg Araki's latest film last night, "Mysterious Skin". Based on the novel by Scott Heim, it's an unsettlingly realistic depiction of child sexual abuse and the long term impacts of sexual trauma on two very different young men. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (TV's Third Rock From the Sun, "10 Things I Hate About You") and Brady Corbett ("Thirteen," "Thunderbirds") turn in compelling, convincing performances. The film also features Michelle Trachtenberg (TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Eurotrip") and Oscar-winner Elizabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas," "Adventures in Babysitting").

I've been working with survivors for more than four years now; I've seen and heard just about every horrific way sexual violence is committed against children and adults. I didn't think this film would affect me the way it did, but I'm still having a hard time shaking some of the images from my mind. I hope plenty more people go to see it. Some of the reviews are describing the ending as "transcendent." I found it powerful and though disturbing, also satisfying. This film can go a long way toward shattering the silence of child sexual abuse.