In My Mother's Skin

In My Mother's Skin is a dark fairy tale from the Philippines.

In which a young girl is trying to help her family survive amidst the isolation of WWII...where they are stuck in no man's land, between Japanese and American forces.

Their father has gone off to work for the Americans.

While their mother is suffering from a debilitating illness.

And their aunt is being forced to search for a mysterious horde of gold, by their extortionist neighbour.

Therefore, leaving it up to the two siblings to scrounge up enough food to survive.

Their search takes them into the forest...where the young girl meets a mysterious fairy, who offers to grant her wishes.

She first asks for her mother to be healed.

Not realizing that this miraculous feat comes with a caveat...as it turns her mother into a flesh-eating beast.

So, when she asks for food the next time she meets her.

Her brother refuses to eat it...out of fear he will be subject to the same fate.

Understandably, this makes her wary about asking for any more favours.

But she is forced to ask for help, in order to try and save her brother's life...after he is shot by their neighbour, in a rage.

Because he is all she has left...after having mistakenly shot her aunt, when trying to exact revenge on the neighbour.

Not realizing that her mother had already taken care of that.

So, when presented with the oppourtunity...she can't bring herself to do it.

Knowing that she will just be deceived again.

Which puts her in a position where she just can't win.

You can't help but pray that she will wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Because things only go from bad to worse.

Thus, the fairy approaches her, once again, when she's at her lowest point.

Reassuring her that she can make it all go away.

Though, you can't help but feel this is all just a ruse...to get her to consent giving this evil fairy possession of her innocent soul.

Because, despite the consequences...all her actions were made out of love.

Which is why you feel so bad for her, after witnessing the trauma she is forced to endure.

So it's not really a surprise that this grim fairy tale doesn't have a happy ending.

3.5 out of 10.

A wealthy Filipino family is struggling to survive during World War 2 and the Japanese army's hold on the country is reducing. The father Aldo has run off to help Americans, after stealing gold from Japanese and has hid the gold as well. With the mother's health deteriorating, the elder daughter Tala seeks help from a fairy, without understanding the consequences. Things take a dark turn when the wish granted by the fairy is not what Tala wanted, putting her and everyone's life at risk.

This is a slow burner and the eerie setting does seem to pay off. It is as gritty as the very first scene sets it up for and it continues to remain the same throughout. Aided by good performances by the two kids and enough scenes to terrify without the jump scares, the film somewhat falters in it's narrative. In order to narrate a straightforward story without much twists, the film sticks to a single tone and it just doesn't offer any surprises, resorting to showcasing one family's ordeal through the girl's pov.

Film that fails in every way.

It doesn't have an interesting plot. Not interesting in any aspect.

Average acting and very weak photography add up to a silly, poorly conducted and uninteresting story.

Characters that do not have depth or meaning to capture the audience's interest.

A weak, poorly elaborated, tiring story devoid of interesting dialogues or good photography, which makes almost impossible the task of enduring this boring film until the end.

Why make a movie if you don't have a plot, a nice photography or at least any kind of message to deliver?

I regret wasting my time with this poor excuse for a movie.

Avoid it.

In My Mother's Skin takes you deep into the heart of Filipino folklore, where reality and the supernatural blend seamlessly in a story that is both terrifying and tragically human. Kenneth Dagatan crafts a chilling narrative set against the backdrop of World War II, a time already ripe with despair and fear. What makes this film stand out is its ability to weave horror into the fabric of historical trauma while maintaining a fairy tale-like atmosphere that feels unsettlingly magical.

The story centers around Tala, a young girl desperate to save her dying mother as her family becomes increasingly isolated in their mansion. When she turns to a mystical fairy for help, the promise of salvation spirals into something far more sinister. Dagatan doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of war, but he cleverly juxtaposes them with an even more sinister supernatural threat.

The performances, particularly from the young leads, are deeply affecting. They convey the fear and vulnerability of children caught in an adult world filled with treachery. The film's pacing, while slow at times, only serves to heighten the tension, pulling you deeper into its nightmarish world.

Visually, In My Mother's Skin is stunning. The dark, foreboding woods and the decaying mansion amplify the film's sense of doom. The practical effects and the fairy's design are haunting, delivering the kind of body horror that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.

If you enjoy folklore horror with a deeper emotional core, this film is a must-watch. It's not just about the scares but about the price of survival and the fragility of innocence. In My Mother's Skin is an unforgettable journey into the dark side of fairy tales and human desperation.

Premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight Film Selection.

Firstly, I do appreciate the creative takes on horror from the Southern Asia perspective as Asian horror movies from Japan and South Korea are pretty common. I rarely see horror flicks made from the Philippines and for the most part, this was pretty good. This movie no doubt has talent as there are some gorgeous camerawork, costumes and productions throughout with some interesting atmosphere and concepts explored. The camerawork is beautiful that helps build tension between the environment and setting.

The narrative that is mixed with war, fairies, and other horror elements is interesting as the narrative, while some improvements on the writing could be done better, provide some interesting concepts and topics explored. The sound design and the soundtrack is really good. Most of the performances were solid and the child actors do a solid job on performing their roles. The direction is pretty goo as well.

The biggest problem is the characters. While the characters have interesting moments, the characters felt too thin to fully connect with and made it a little difficult to fully connect at times. Including pacing as there were some moments that did drag slightly. I don't mind slow-burn horror movies but there were certain moments that felt too slow. Including some lightening issues as certain moments were a bit too dark to see.

Throughout, the gore effects were pretty good and looked pretty realistic. There were some interesting themes that are mean-spirited but I appreciate the director taking some risks on it's tone and setting.

Overall, it has it's flaws but I did have a good time watching it.