Skin

When is a political narrative more than just "Politics"? When it's vitally personal. When the subject embraces the sociology of a specific time period and illuminates it without didacticism.

Telling a story through abstraction and bold imagery is a challenge. Not having dialogue to speak for the film maker intent is another challenge. My experience is that this type of concept is extremely difficult to pull off. Painters like Rothko, Chagall or De Kooning make us feel what their work is "about." "Skin" does that in the short film format through the juxtaposition of compositions, color, movement and acting. Painting with the camera. All the choiceas are strikingly bold enough to challenge the viewer into deciphering their meaning. Watching "Skin" is not a passive experience, it's as involving as a traditional narrative. If I say too much I could give you a "Spoiler!" It's message and meaning gain clarity through it's images as they inexorably lead us to the final destination.

This is an incredibly moving and poetic examination of a trans man's journey toward self-discovery and self-acceptance. The film captures a specific and nuanced aspect of the trans identity that I have not yet seen portrayed in cinema. The fact that it was shot on 35mm adds to the nuance and complexity of the film, because the layers of film represent the layers of identity within all of us. The makeup design is also incredible - I was fully immersed in the world and truly believed that the character was shedding his old skin to become the person he was meant to be all along. Everyone should watch this film.