It will be interesting to see what role MT plays in the film. It sounds like it might be a definite departure from what we are used to seeing her as. I did catch her last episode on Six Feet Under (she did have a multi-episode arc right?) when she has the sex scene with the much-older, gay, bodyguard guy. I have to admit it was really strange hearing the "F" word coming from her!

Karen | September 03, 21:42 CET

From what I hear, Michelle Trachtenberg's role is indeed quite different than what she's played in the past.

Without getting too spoilery: as the above article says, the film centers around two boys who share an experience in common. Michelle's role is as a friend to one of those boys.

In a past interview, she described her place in the movie -- To quote part of her description -- "I play Wendy, his best friend and the one person he's been able to open up to, and I help him deal with the psychological aspects of what he went through. He purges his deepest pains and secrets. My character is very dark and punk and gothic. She's unlike anyone I've ever played before."

Again, without getting too spoilery, the subject matter of this movie is rather unsettling and potentially controversial. To me, it sounds quite interesting. And it's cool seeing MT tackling a movie that has some rather weighty and gritty material. In everything I've read, she sounds very enthusiastic and proud of this particular project.

To quote her once again: "The wonderful thing about an independent film is that nobody is there for the money, because there isn't any. It's all about people who love the script and want to be there because creatively, they feel they can do something with this movie."

From what I've heard, Michelle has alreadly lined up roles in a few other independent films. Which I'm glad of, as it's always cool seeing members of the Buffy cast find success in their continued endeavors. So hopefully 'Mysterious Skin' garners some measure of acclaim :)

[ edited by inverse on 2004-09-03 21:15 ]

inverse | September 03, 22:57 CET

inverse, thanks for the more indepth report. This article perked my curiosity and I searched the 'net awhile looking for more. No luck. You just filled in the missing pieces. I'm looking forward in seeing this film. I've always thought Michelle's acting talents were somewhat "short-changed" in the 'verse and it will be good to see what she's capable of.

Madhatter | September 03, 23:26 CET

The Toronto Film Festival mini-blurb/plot outline on the film is at:

http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2004/filmsschedules/description.asp?pageID=searchforafilm&id=202

ella | September 03, 23:57 CET

Glad to be of service, Madhatter :)

I'm also looking forward to seeing what MT can do in her slew of new films. She seems to be heading into a variety of roles, so it'll be interesting seeing her tested in new territory.

That said, I personally enjoyed her stint on BtVS. I remember reading a detailed Dawn Summers character analysis in the Mutant Allies section of Livejournal that really helped bring her role into focus. Looking back, I find that Dawn's story is far more layered than I originally gave it credit for.

But then that's the beauty of Joss Whedon's work: the myriad levels of meaning built into each and every moment.

[ edited by inverse on 2004-09-03 23:15 ]

inverse | September 04, 01:14 CET

She does seem to be the ex BtVS castmember who has done most since the show ended, even leaving SMG behind in the variety of roles while AH and NB have struggled to get anything to show off their talents. AH took a risk with a stage show, something which the reviews suggested she had no training for.

And doing the "Comercial project, indie project, comercial project" thing seems the best way to stay in the public eye while showing off her talents, which judging by her performances in S5 are not inconsiderable. To turn up, at fourteen, on set in an establised accliamed show and hold your own in a key (sorry...) role in the season, involving some heavy emotionial scenes, alongside a much older and in many cases more experienced cast takes talent.

zz9 | September 04, 02:02 CET

MT is one of the few "child stars" I've never thought of as a child star. I've always just seen her as an actress (which may have something to do with being around her age). I'm glad she's doing this film and playing someone who's different from other characters she's played.

lady_fantastic | September 04, 03:42 CET

I'm looking forward to this movie because I've seen several of Araki's previous films and I love them. They are dark, edgy, and very interesting. Doom Generation was good, and Nowhere was incredibly bizarre, like 90210 on acid. I recommend those films.

The controversial subject matter of this film interests me because I like to study how victims cope with abuse, and the aftermath of healing. It's a disturbing subject matter, and one I've been studying since I was 12. Judging from Gregg Araki's other films, he has the capability of taking it "too far" which could be triggering for survivors of childhood abuse. Viewers should take that into account before seeing this movie.

[ edited by electricspacegirl on 2004-09-04 02:45 ]

electricspacegirl | September 04, 04:43 CET

Kinda OT: Say Inverse/Simon how do you embed a URL into the middle of a comment, please? I'm not seeing that instruction in the HTML tags allowed list. Thanks.

Drifter | September 04, 10:43 CET

Here you go drifter

<A HREF="http://whedonesque.com">Whedonesque.com</A>

This code gives us

Whedonesque.com

Simon | September 04, 10:58 CET