In My Skin (2003)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

On the DVD-cover I read about comparisons to the body horror of David Cronenberg, and that's not a bad hint concerning this film. Elsewhere, I read about references to Brian De Palma, and 'his' split-screens were here, indeed. The mirroring in the ceiling light was another one that made me think of De Palma, but, again, I don't know exactly who did what first in cinema.And, beyond all that, Marina de Van really does her own thing here. But I must say that the final shot reminded me heavily of a murdered Marion Crane, laying on the bathroom floor in 'Psycho' (1960)... But when Hitchcock and De Palma pretty much always opt(ed) for a rather complicated, if not, far-fetched plot, de Van chooses to simply combine some dreadful horrors with the simple tale of a modern, attractive woman who is caught in a seemingly empty world of work, parties and a boyfriend who works just as much. In that sense it reminded me more of Cronenberg's 'Crash'.Subtlety is the main ingredient here (although there are a couple of terrific absurd moments here^), forming a terrific contrast with the horrors at hand. Not too much of a story (it's a blessing), but along the lines of 'a couple of (fateful) days in the life of a woman who...'. A deliciously dark attempt to shed light on matters from the inside, so to speak. No explanations, no answers, you figure it out.Plus: a fine soundtrack to boot! 9 out of 10, at least ^ Álmost funny are the observation that there just hás to be a killer somewhere (maybe I've seen to many giallo's?), when there's blood found in the house and later in the restaurant.P.s.: Still looking for all those shocking shorts that de Van presumably did in the past... to be continued, I hope.

Another Warning! My Brief Thematic Evaluation contains Heavy Spoilers....Drawing from the feminist liberation ideology found in the early paranoia pictures of Roman Polanski-- especially Repulsion-- In My Skin is a highly literate exercise in draining, existentialist horror.In the film, the main character of Esther leads a detached life from society. She can't function and connect to any human in this male-dominated, capitalist world. So withdrawn Esther is that when it comes time to talk business in a pivotal diner scene-- the one scene that comes from dreamlike paranoia, not earthbound horror-- she literally imagines one of her limbs detached during the discourse, and thus continues the love affair with self-mutilation.And a love story it is indeed. Yet, instead of with another human being, it is with tearing apart her own body, of which, can be perceived as the very faulty foundation for worth and self-purpose in a society that sadly values feminine attractiveness over their intellect.In the climax, Esther realizes that she cannot preserve her skin, and therefore like everything else that society values, her life is also bound only for disappointment. She lies in her bed in the final shot, almost looking dead but still living, showing that Esther alike the rest of the gender will always be a soulless, empty vessel without as much purpose and worth as males until society corrects itself.Therefore, with the soul of existentialism, and an outer-veneer akin to the hopelessness of a horror picture, In My Skin ends on a downer. The viewer can only ponder what kind of society pushes a woman to think of herself as nothing but a piece of meat. This also leaves Esther alone in a society that also stresses personal gain over others in a never ending cycle of disassociation. Simply, how can females get ahead if the gender isn't valued as anything but what they are not?

In this french psychological horror flick you have a woman who's seriously losing touch with the real world. The real world in a common sense way of thinking is a place where a person would never want to eat them-self. Well, in our leading lady's world, this is the case.In My Skin is really a bizarre flick. It's not overly gross, it's not gory, it's not offensive, but I'll be damned if this flick didn't make me feel weird while watching it. It's incredibly intimate with it's portrayal of a really messed up situation. There were many instances where I'd feel uncomfortable, and that rarely happens to me.I always thought I was kinda weird (I was told that it's weird) when I would pick a scab off and eat it. But this takes that to a whole new level, and I can kinda see where my friends were coming from when they were telling me that what I was doing was messed up. I didn't stop, and who knows if our French character will either.Give this flick a shot if you're into unique film-making. But if you're slightly queasy about graphic bloody injuries, I'd say pass. But you'd be missing out, since this is one portrayal of a personality that's quite unique.

Throughout this film i couldn't help but be reminded of American Psycho, both the book and the film. The stories share the exact same overriding theme; the complete and utter emptiness and shallowness of their social and thus emotional landscape leads the protagonist to extreme and violent depths in order to find something that makes them feel anything.The scene that really stuck out and made this clear for me was the dinner scene. Sat with her wealthy, pretentious work peers or 'friends', discussions include such fascinating topics as 'which city in the world has the best architecture?', which leads one of the group to propose Paris, and then enter a long monologue on why; 'architecture that is so beautiful, but most importantly, consistent' (paraphrased). Just one sound byte of an entire scene of conversation that hemorrhages vapidity and blandness. Meanwhile Esther, in the midst of this, struggles to control her urge to self-harm - and begins cutting herself beneath the table.In American Psycho, it was this same vapidity and emptiness of his world that lead Patrick Bateman to experiment with murder and extreme violence. In Dans Ma Peau, we see the exact same, but this time that same primal urge to violence that seems to be awakened in their emotionally desolate worlds, is turned inwards instead of out.Both films seem to suggest that the combined emotional effect of vanity and superficiality creates an emotional gulf that only violence can fill, be it inwards or outwards.