Mysterious Skin

How might you diagnose Brian? Neil?

Did Brian experience episodic amnesia or Dissociative Amnesia?

Brian Lackey: "... 5 hours disappeared from my life... The last thing I remember... What happened after that remains a pitch black void." (0:02)

Brian: "... This was when the nightmares began... I wet the bed several times, and then there were the blackouts." 
Brian appears to lose consciousness. (0:04)

Ellen McCormick tells the coach, "... Don’t worry..." (0:07)

Ellen’s son Neil: "... The crowd went... nuts... it made coach proud..." (0:08)

Coach tells Neil, "... like you’re having a wonderful dream..." (0:12)

His friend Wendy Peterson tells Neil, "You’re insane." (0:16)

Neil tells Brian, "... Lie down, retard." 
Neil tells Wendy, ”Don’t worry...” (0:18)

Brian: "I woke up... not knowing... what had happened to me..." (0:20)

Businessman Charlie sexually abuses Neil. (0:23)

Wendy tells Neil, "Maniac..." (0:25)

Wendy tells Neil, "... Put that back in your pants, exhibitionist. No way, perv." (0:26)

His mother tells Brian, "It’s probably going to be a little silly. The commercial showed this crazy old man..." 
Television narrator: ”... Is it mass hysteria...?” 
Avalyn Freisen on television: ”... Even E.T. scared me.” 
Avalyn: ”... Under hypnotic regression...” (0:29)

Brian writes, "In this dream..." (0:34)

Neil tells Ellen, "... don’t worry..." (0:37)

Brian answers Avalyn, "It’s a dream journal... a log of all my dreams..." 
Avalyn: ”... Your subconscious is where all your memories are buried... under hypnosis...” 
Brian: ”... My mom’s gonna worry.” 
Avalyn: ”You wanna read me one of your dreams?” 
Avalyn: ”... maybe concentrate on that other boy in your dreams...” (0:39)

Wendy’s brother Eric: "I’m so... wasted." 
Eric asks Neil, ”... Do you have any pot?” 
Eric insufflates from a pipe. (0:44)

By telephone, Brian tells Avalyn, “... the one from my dreams. (0:49)

Brian tells Avalyn, referring to a photograph of Neil, “... the boy from my dreams...” (0:50)

Neil appears to use blotters of LSD. 
Eric reads a letter from Wendy to Neil, ”... New York is insane and crazy...” (0:51)

Brian appears to lose consciousness. (0:53)

Ellen tells Neil, "... I don’t want you getting lost in that crazy city." 
Neil: ”... you don’t have to worry...” (0:53)

Eric tells Neil, "... go to the drug store..." (0:54)

Eric answers Ellen, "Kill myself..." (0:56)

Eric writes to Neil, "... Get your mind out of the gutter, perv..." (0:57)

Avalyn asks Brian, "Had any more of those dreams?" (0:59)

Neil smokes a marijuana cigarette and shares it with Wendy. (1:03)

Zeke tells Neil, "... a habit of popping up... Don’t be worried..." (1:08)

Brian answers Eric, "I’m drunk. I’ve never been drunk in my life." (1:12)

Brian: "Dad, I haven’t seen you for what, two years?" 
Mr. Lackey: ”You’re drunk.” 
Brian: ”... I kept passing out. I wet my... bed... when I blacked out again?...” (1:16)

A man tells Neil, "... don’t worry..." (1:19)

The man tells Neil to insufflate a drug, then the man insufflates. Cocaine? 
The man smacks Neil in the face.
The man strikes Neil in the head with an object.
The man strikes Neil in the head repeatedly with a shampoo bottle. (1:20)

Brian answers Eric, "... nervous." 
Eric: ”Don’t worry...” (1:26)

Brian tells Neil, "... I want to dream about something else..." (1:31)

Neil tells Brian, "... coach would ask me to do things, crazy sex things." 
”... you just fell face first on the floor...” (1:37)