Under the Skin is a 1997 British drama film written and directed by Carine Adler and starring Samantha Morton and Claire Rushbrook.

Adler based her ideas for the script on forensic psychiatrist Estela V. Welldon's book Mother, Madonna, Whore, which argues that whereas men tend to externalize their grieving processes through anger, women internalize them via paths which can incorporate such extreme reactions as self-harm and promiscuity.

24-year-old Rose, who is married and pregnant, manages to cope with the situation, but 19-year-old Iris dumps her boyfriend Gary and spirals out of control, engaging in risky behaviors.

The critics consensus reads, "Under the Skin brilliantly captures a young woman's emotional collapse -- and marks its star and director as fresh talents worth keeping an eye on.

"[5] Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle wrote, "Writer-director Adler handles this potential hothouse atmosphere with graceful restraint and evocatively expressionist touches", adding she "does a remarkable job of conveying the kind of anguished soul sickness that is at a loss for words or conventional expression.

"[8] Derek Elley of Variety wrote the film has "occasional stumbles", but is otherwise an "impressive, highly involving feature debut" with a "script that juggles complementary moods of anger, tough comedy, the surreal and sex-soaked metaphysics.

"[2] Ruthe Stein of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Adler gets so much of the girl stuff right that it is tempting to say this film could only have been written by a woman.