In the Cutis a 2003 American erotic thriller and mystery film , written and directed by Jane Campion and starring Meg Ryan , Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh . Campion's screenplay is an adaption of the novel of the same name by Susanna Moore . It focuses on a college English professor (Ryan) who becomes entangled with a detective (Ruffalo) investigating a series of gruesome murders in her Manhattan neighborhood.

The film received a limited release on October 22, 2003 in the United States, and was subsequently given a wide release on Halloween that year in the United States and United Kingdom. The film received negative to mixed reviews from critics.

High school teacher and writer Frannie ( Meg Ryan ) begins an affair with Malloy ( Mark Ruffalo ), a detective investigating a series of murders of young women in her neighborhood. As the affair progresses, questions arise as to whether Malloy is the perpetrator of the crimes.