Mysterious Skin (2004)

Content warning: Mysterious Skin contains images of sexual violence.

Eighteen-year-old Brian (Brady Corbet) is convinced that he was abducted by aliens when he was eight. He doesn't remember much else, except that one day he found himself sitting in the basement of his parents' house with a bloody nose. Since then, his life has been dominated by fear. At the same time, we follow Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a wild peer of Brian's who may be able to tell him more about the event than Brian thinks. 

Mysterious Skin is a film adaptation of the book of the same name by Scott Heim. The film won the Jury Prize at the Bergen International Film Festival (Norway, 2004) and the Best Actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Best Director awards at the Seattle International Film Festival (2005). Since its release, Mysterious Skin has achieved cult status and is considered one of the best films in Gregg Araki's impressive oeuvre.