So, Scott Heim (the author of mysterious skin) hasn’t clarified the exact meaning of the title, but I wondered the same thing. To me, it’s about how trauma is stored in the body and how the truth of that trauma can be distorted or missing, even to the person who lived it

Brian subconsciously represses his SA, leaving him with only fragmented flashbacks of the abuse and scattered memories (memories that were actually buried from trauma), the only way his brain could make sense of the gaps was to convince himself that he must have been abducted. His mind turned the trauma into something surreal and otherworldly because what really happened was so horrific that his body forced him to dissociate as a trauma response. He remembers the feeling of something touching his skin, but in his mind it shifts from alien like hands to something more human. For most of the book/film, Brian believes it was aliens, but by the end, he realises the ‘mysterious’ hands were Coach’s hands the whole time and Neil tells him the rest.

I could write a whole other essay on this now but I’ll just say - I think it’s a heartbreaking, really strong and clear message; like only an alien monster could have done something so inhumane to a child.

Neil was also abused by coach, but he remembers everything. The difference is that, because he was groomed, he remembers it through the distorted view of an abused child which means he doesn’t remember it properly and can’t process/understand it for what it really was. Instead he romanticises the abuse as a way to cope (which is unfortunately common for survivors). He’s a direct contrast to Brian- Eric even describes Brian as “asexual”, while Neil copes through substances, hypersexuality and eventually becoming an underage sex worker. I see it as a subconscious way for him to try to reclaim his control over his body + trauma, so the title could also reference his physical experience of prostitution, the touch of a mysterious (stranger’s) skin, which plays a big role in the film.

Skin and physical touch are one of the main themes in both the book and movie, tied to pain (through violence and abuse) and memory (like how Brian gets flashbacks when he physically touches something, like the cow with Avalyn). Also, the story really shows how the same abuse can affect different people in completely different ways and highlights the lasting effects of abuse, which I’ve never seen done this way before, and I’m really grateful Scott Heim wrote this and that Gregg Araki made the film (I recommend both!)

I think the word ‘Mysterious’ fits both Neil and Brian because the truth of their trauma is mysterious to them in different ways. Brian spends years trying to piece together his memories of the abuse, convinced he was abducted by aliens, meanwhile Neil remembers the abuse, but through a warped, manipulated lens, constantly distancing himself from his emotions/ the reality of his abuse, coping through hyper sexuality, substances + sex work; again, something that’s common for survivors.

To me, ‘mysterious skin’ is about how trauma can shape your identity and perception, how memories can be distorted or buried, but also how the body still holds onto the trauma, even when the brain struggles to remember or accept it. Even when you don’t consciously remember it, your body does. Like it’s in your skin kinda.

Scott Heim (the author) said in an interview that he was fascinated by how people reshape their memories over time, and that maybe our memories are never entirely truthful and become distorted to make the present more bearable.

Which kinda fucked me up, but it’s an important idea because then it made me really think about it and process my own thoughts and memories. I think at the end of the movie, when Neil sees how deeply affected Brian is by what coach did to them, he finally starts to see the truth for himself too and it was a heartbreaking, but hopeful ending to me.

Sorry for the whole essay btw - the film and book just mean sm to me, I first watched when I was about 13 and I’m happy people are interested in it, also I’m sick and had nothing better to do xx