In My Skin

"In My Skin" is considered by many horror fans as the most disturbing film ever made.I really don't know why,because I have seen much more graphic scenes of self-mutilation in "Cutting Moments" and Japanese "Naked Blood".It's still an excellent and deeply unsettling piece of horror.A young woman named Esther(Marina de Van)indulges in self-mutilation.She starts cutting herself and keeping pieces of her own flesh in her purse.However "In My Skin" refuses to explain Esther's behavior.At first we are led to believe that Esther cuts herself because she feels nothing else in her life,but I'm not really sure that this is the point.Anyway,the performance of the lead actress Marina de Van is excellent and the gore effects are quite good.So if you like transgressive cinema give it a look,but if you're easily offended don't watch it.8 out of 10.

Synopsis :After falling and cutting her leg severely at a party, Esther becomes obsessed with the lack of pain she experienced. She begins inflicting wounds in the area where she was originally hurt and slowly becomes obsessed with the touch and taste of her own skin.

Overview : Not many movies have put me in a situation to where I NEEDED to turn them off just to regroup. For me, this is a GOOD sign!

*Atmosphere This movie isn't as dark as it sounds, if that makes sense. The surroundings for Esther are very bright - home, work, hanging out with friends. So when she starts going a bit mad, it's extra freaky. The music I felt added a big part to my overall feelings. *Cast/Characters I felt that Marina de Van did a marvelous job! Nothing was lost in the translation and even though you have to read the story, where to main visual effects come into play you didn't lose anything with words. I don't know if it was because the actress is also the writer and director and she was able to do her own vision but a job well done!

*F/X Not many opportunities for intense F/X but it's the subtle ones that really made my tummy turn. Whenever something looks very realistic (or basically looks like it COULD be something that happens to YOU) then that really gets....under my skin! *Pace Pretty smooth movie with only a few moments that just lingered a bit too long on Ester's "eating" habits! I quick push of the FWD button and I was safe again. My advice, don't eat pizza while watching this film!

Jekyll's Thoughts : An amazing movie that I am glad I had the opportunity to watch. I look forward to seeing what de Van has up her sleeve in the future. I give this one a 3 star rating If it makes it to your local vid store, make sure and check it out.

I was bitterly disappointed with this film. I was expecting something, deep challenging and thought provoking. As it was, yeah I nearly walked out as well, but only through boredom. The special effects are at a level of unrealism only surpassed by bad horror films- found myself laughing at scenes meant, presumably, to be something other than comedy. What could have been a fascinating portrayal of self injury ends up as forgettable blood porn and if you want that go see Crash, at least that cast can act.

Dark film about a woman who becomes fascinated with her skin and self mutilation after an accident leaves her with a wound. Graphic and tough to sit through the film raises the spotlight on an extreme form of behavior that in milder forms can lead to people cutting themselves. What makes things more disturbing is the behavior isn't explained, it just is. I liked the film, as much as one can, however I was disappointed in that the film just sort of ended. Clearly its a character study more then a narrative, but at the same time I didn't get anything out of it, I just finished the film with a sense of "thats it?" Recommended only for those with strong constitutions and those wishing to be disturbed

This is a movie made with the confidence of one who knows exactly what she is trying to communicate. The problem is that what is being communicated is so far beyond the norm that it is not going to be easily grasped. Esther is a highly intelligent young woman. The main thread of the story begins when she accidentally injures herself. Through the injury she begins to see her herself as merely meat, an object. Meat can not suffer, has no emotions, has no ambitions, is immune to the pressures and pettiness of everyday life. She finds this release increasingly more fascinating and attractive. This is not something she can communicate to anyone around her so she explores it in secret attempting to finally exist as a mere object devoid of all humanity. Her loneliness adds a cutting edge of sadness to the story. If she found the right person to share her thoughts with we may have ended up with an equally bizarre love story.

I found it difficult to watch this movie all the way through without a break. Some of my friends have not even managed to watch it past the first twenty minutes. If you do manage to sit through this movie, I am pretty sure that not only will you thereafter remember it vividly, you will also find it hard to stop talking about it.