Reviews
Other
IN MY SKIN
The year 2003 saw more than its share of nasty films, horror and otherwise: IRREVERSIBLE, HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES, FREDDY VS. JASON, CABIN FEVER, KILL BILL VOL. 1, IN THE CUT and the new TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE are just a few of ‘03’s over-the-toppers. Deciding on the most offensive of them is a difficult task, but I feel confident in naming the little-seen French import IN MY SKIN (DANS MA PEAU) as the year’s all around nastiest film. Focusing on the scarcely explored topic of self-mutilation, it’s uncompromising and undeniably provocative, though only the most jaded viewers need apply.
The Package
This classic of why-am-I-watching-this??? cinema began as a short by
writer-director-star Marina De Van (whose previous experience was as a
screenwriter on the Francois Ozon films UNDER THE SAND and 8 WOMEN), who kept
adding onto her film and eventually ended up with a feature. The resulting
depictions of disturbingly realistic self-mutilation and auto
cannibalism—foregoing special effects, De Van actually cut herself for many of
the film’s most gruesome scenes—have stunned audiences at film festivals around
the world. Faintings have been common, as have mass walkouts and vomiting in
the aisles. Even I found the film hard to watch—and harder to
forget—which believe me is saying an awful lot!
The Story
Esther, a young professional woman,
accidentally injures her leg at a party one night. Although the wound is a
pretty severe one, she barely feels it, at least until she examines it up close,
and even then her primary reaction is one of curiosity rather than pain or
horror. She later finds herself picking at the cut in times of stress or
agitation and even creates a new gash she can jab and poke at.
This is the start of an all-consuming obsession which
grows to such an extent that in the midst of a business dinner Esther can barely
keep from hacking at one of her arms under the table; she ends up checking into
a hotel where she spends the remainder of the night ecstatically slicing and
gnawing her afflicted arm nearly to the bone. The following day she stages a
phony car accident to appease her understandably distraught boyfriend, but her
next bout of mutilation is even more severe. This time Esther slashes her face,
takes numerous photos of her wounds and cuts a large patch of knee skin that she
keeps stuck to one of her breasts. Another, even more apocalyptic slash-a-thon
is imminent--the final scene is an open-ended one, but the suggestion seems to
be that Esther takes her obsession to its logical, deadly conclusion.
The Direction
The opening scenes are somewhat clumsy, and require a leap of faith on the
part of the viewer to stay with the picture: the visuals are flat and
uninspiring and the tone far too matter-of-fact to evoke much interest. But
Marina De Van’s power grows as her film ventures deeper into its disturbed
heroine’s subjective reality, utilizing surrealism (in a striking sequence where
Esther’s left arm literally breaks off, much to her surprise and fascination)
and postproduction trickery (split screen, etc.) to convey Esther’s increasing
disassociation from the world around her (which incidentally reminded me
somewhat of CARNIVAL OF SOULS and the profound isolation of that film’s undead
heroine).
Intriguingly, De Van never divulges any conventional explanation for her
character’s mental state—there are no childhood flashbacks or explanatory
narration to be had here (which has given rise to a variety of disparate
interpretations from critics and viewers). The film doesn’t fit into any sort
of genre niche, be it exploitation, social commentary or cautionary tale. One
thing is for certain, though: De Van seems determined to create a serious,
thought-provoking drama. Despite all the grotesquerie, her film never feels
gratuitous or excessive, nor does it ever appear to advocate Esther’s ugly
practices (ominous horror movie music often wells up whenever she spots a sharp
object). This leaves the question of why De Van wanted to make the movie in the
first place, or—something I was admittedly asking myself throughout—why anyone
really needs to view this traumatizing orgy of poking, cutting and bleeding.
That’s entertainment...I guess.
Vital Statistics
IN MY SKIN (DANS MA PEAU)
Lazennec et Associes
Director: Marina De Van
Producer: Laurence Farenc
Screenplay: Marina De Van
Cinematography: Pierre Barougier
Editor: Mike Fromentin
Cast: Marina De Van, Laurent Lucas, Lea Drucker, Thibault De Montalembert,
Dominique Reymond, Bernard Alane, Marc Rioufol, Francois Lamotte, Adrien De Van,
Alain Rimoux, Thomas De Van