Mysterious Skin 2005

During the summer of 1981 in Hutchinson, Kansas, two eight-year-old Little League teammates, Neil McCormick and Brian Lackey, endure profoundly transformative experiences. Neil, grappling with the irresponsibility of his single mother and coming to terms with his own sexuality, falls victim to sexual abuse at the hands of their Little League coach, who ultimately disappears after that summer. Meanwhile, Brian, often neglected by his busy parents, recalls a rainy game and then a fragmented memory of being in his house’s crawl space with a bloody nose, his mind clouded over the five hours lost in between.

In Neil’s perspective, the coach’s abuse is misinterpreted as a form of love, leading him to develop an attraction towards older men. At just 15 years old, he enters the world of sex work, which continues even after he relocates to New York City three years later to join his best friend, Wendy Peterson. In New York, Neil has a poignant experience with a client named Zeke, a man facing the final stages of AIDS, who instead of seeking sexual encounters, yearns simply for human connection through touch. This moving encounter prompts Neil to step back from sex work and take up a job at a sandwich shop, encouraged by Wendy.

On the other hand, Brian is a troubled boy suffering from chronic nosebleeds, blackouts, and bedwetting long after that fateful event. His mind is haunted by strange dreams of a bluish hand, leading him to consider the possibility of having been abducted by aliens. As these dreams evolve, he begins to see another boy in his dreams, one who wears a similar Little League uniform. At 18, he crosses paths with Avalyn Friesen, who also harbors beliefs of alien abduction. Their friendship takes a turn when Brian panics at her sexual advances and cuts off all contact.

As Brian struggles with confusion over his memories, he stumbles upon a photograph of his Little League team, suddenly recognizing Neil as the boy from his dreams. In a harrowing twist, Neil returns to Hutchinson to spend Christmas with his mother after suffering a violent encounter with a client. Here, a decade has passed since Neil and Brian last saw each other. Needing to confront their shared trauma, Neil shares the story of that day with Brian: how the coach offered to take the boys home after a rainout, leading them instead to his house where the unspeakable acts occurred. As memories resurface—Brian collapsing in agony, resulting in his bloody nose, all under the glow of a disturbing blue porch light—Brian is overwhelmed by emotion. Finally uncovering the truth, he dissolves into tears, seeking comfort from Neil, while the sounds of Christmas carolers softly sing “Silent Night.”