Michelle Trachtenberg

Mysterious Skin (2004)

Directed by : Gregg Araki

Writing credits : Scott Heim (novel)

Plot Outline: Two young men become close friends, then discover a common link to the past that shaped them each in different ways.

Credited cast:
Brady Corbet .... Brian Lackey
Joseph Gordon-Levitt .... Neil McCormick
Elisabeth Shue .... Mrs. McCormick
Mary Lynn Rajskub .... Avalyn
Michelle Trachtenberg .... Wendy
Jeffrey Licon .... Eric Preston
Lisa Long .... Mrs. Lackey
George Webster .... Young Brian
Chase Ellison .... Young Neil
Rachael Nastassja Kraft .... Deborah Lackey
Kelly Kruger .... Deborah Lackey
David Alan Graf .... Gay Lumberjack
Zane Huett .... Jackson’s son
Forrest Fountain .... Jackson

Country: USA

Summary: An 18-year-old Kansas man Brian searches for the answers behind the confusing traumatic events of his childhood, he believes he was abducted by aliens when he was younger. In his search he meets up with another 18-year-old Neil and they discover were both sexually molested when they were younger. Neil, a homosexual grows up to really embrace this but it is only with the help of his best friend Wendy (Michelle), the only person he trusts, he begins to understand what truly happened in his childhood.

Michelle Trachtenberg has said : I took a week off, flew back to L.A. and I went into Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin, which is a very dark movie. I’m incredibly proud of this movie. It’s based on a true story about two boys who were sexually molested when they were younger - based on a book, actually, about a true story. One of the boys is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is basically a homosexual who really goes out and whores himself out. He sells himself. The other boy is played by Brady Corbet, who is confused and thinks he was abducted by aliens. I play his best friend. He’s the only person he’s able to confide in and really I help his character discover the importance of embracing and understanding what happened to him when he was younger and how these two boys deal with it.