Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I cannot say enough good about this film. I tried when I reviewed it recently, but I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot more to say at the end of the year when I revisit it. This is a great film, and a powerful showcase for the voice of a very singular talent. Check this out:
Hello Harry, Moriarty:
I was lucky enough to catch "In My Skin" in a film fest down in Mexico City. A few days earlier, I went to see "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary" and I had never seen so many people walk out of a theater (idiots!). That is, until the showing of "In My Skin".
Short synopsis: Esther (Marina de Van, also writer and director of the movie) is a normal French woman in her thirties, juggling love life and work. When she gets a promotion, the extra money allows her and her boyfriend Vincent (Lucas Laurent) to buy a house and move in together. Then, at a party, she falls down on some tools and cuts her leg. A few days later she begins to regard her cut obsessively, and soon after she's deeply cutting herself. Vincent is shocked when he realizes what she's doing. "Is it my fault?", he says. She says no, and promises she won't do it anymore. Of course, as any good obsessive-compulsive behavior, it only gets worse, and she has to go to great lengths to hide it, even faking a car crash. But no matter what she does, her bizarre mania may put at risk her work, her relationship and of course her sanity.
To me, the movie was brilliant. Marina de Van, as Esther, shows exactly what it's like to be in THAT state of mind, when self-mutilation is not a desperate cry for help, or an aggressive act to shock others, but simply a security blanket. Something you feel you must do to carry on.
And I think that that's the main difference between "In My Skin" and David Cronenberg's work, to which some people are comparing “In My Skin”. Cronenberg shows us the alternative sexualities with a cold, detached eye. He's sort of like the MC at the freak show, waiting for you to freak out when you suddenly realize that you got a boner from watching accident victims. On the other hand (or leg), Marina de Van's movie is very intense, very personal and emotional, even if the character doesn't always show it. To her, the mutilation is not a sex thing, but a comforting activity.
Anyway, "In My Skin" really spoke to me, but I can see how it's not for everyone. And I'm not only talking about the gory mutilation scenes, but of the subversive mentality behind the flick. But for those of us who have at some point taken a blade to ourselves, it'll be a revelation. C'mon, I know you're out there! Give this flick a try.
Best.
Dr. Goofy
I don’t think you have to have taken a blade to yourself to get this film. We all hurt ourselves. All the time. If you think you don’t, I’m betting you’re in denial. We do it emotionally. We do it with food. We do it with drugs. We all punish ourselves at times, and in different ways. You may not be able to watch IN MY SKIN without flinching, but I bet you’ll relate if you’re brave enough to make it through.
"Moriarty" out.
