Sensitive Skin

Kim gives a truely wonderful performance, she is both subtle and overtly emotional in all the right places. She lays bare the heart and soul of her character, making her both tough as nails, then frail and vulnerable. Davina becomes a character that is immensely relateable as she navigates the uncertainties and regrets and hopes of those of us who are sliding between middle age and seniorhood.

There are also a couple of very entertaing supporting turns by Elliot Gould at his low-key , subtle comedic best, and the wonderful Mary Walsh in top form, delivering her lines with her characteristic acerbic wit and aplomb.

There was a problem for me though, with the performance of Don McKellar as Al. It was such an unevenly developed characterization, he seemed at times to be going for a Woody Allen vibe, but lacked the necessary spontenaity, wit, and energy. At other times he tried to be profound and philosophical, but the lines that were supposed to be breezy and off-the-cuff, just came across as a badly written speech and were delivered with all the subtlety of pieces of falling concrete.

But thankfully Kim was almost always onscreen, and she singlehandedly carried the entire weight of the story, with a less skilled actress at the helm, the entire premise of this series could have easily slipped into soapy melodrama. But instead it was a very engaging exploration of the human experience of aging.

This has a really great premise, its a story world that I haven't seen done before, yet has wide appeal. An extension of the Thirty Something, Cold Feet with just a hint of Northern Exposure magic realism. It's funny, she's brilliant and shows herself to be a really serious actress. All the actors are really strong, and I think the DOP is a genius. I don't like the title. I'd avoided it for awhile because I thought it might be about plastic surgery - the title and the publicity image don't work for me. I think they also make it seemed as though it's pitched at a female audience, which I don't think it needs to be. It is a brilliant 50 something gem. Maybe she needs to take it over slightly. It's probably missing the Larry David character, and I think there might be hesitance to really push the female lead aspect. Which seems odd after Sex and The City. There are lots of aspects that I think are very real, the health neurosis, the attempts to find a new "mode" of life. The complexity of relationships. The everyday drams of everyday life - like parking, and neighbours and the sofa that seemed like a good idea, etc., Please make some more.

Based upon a British series, Sensitive Skin presents an affecting and strikingly-filmed series based upon the reflective angst of ageing and progressing through middle age. However, while centrally a drama, there is also a seam of comedy, and this often provides narrative problems as the central actors, Kim Cattrall and Doug McKellar (playing spouses Davina and Al) often seem to be in two completely different narratives. With regard to McKellar, he is frequently caught up in zany and wacky sitcom-style farce, while Cattrall is part of a meditative and emotional drama, and Cattrall wins out. Her scenes are often starkly beautiful and her performance is stellar, but then they are undercut by jarring, unrealistic and sometimes tiresome comedy antics (although Elliott Gould's turn as a dubious doctor works well). It is obvious that Al (and son, Orlando) are meant to exacerbate Davina's ennui, but the tonal shifts make the series uneven and more focus on Davina's point-of-view would have elevated it. Nevertheless, Sensitive Skin is still highly engaging and effectively produced - I just would have liked to have seen more of Davina and her world-view.

Funny, witty, and poignant, though I feel that my age group will pick up what is laid down much more deeply than younger viewers. Some things in life are only really understood when you have either been there, or are able to imagine it because you know it is coming, probably sooner than you hope. Scenes like the old woman dying, and lines like, 'we are all at deaths door. Some of us just have our hand on the doorknob', make this show one of the best on tv.

SENSITIVE SKIN (2014-2016) is an interesting and thoughtful drama, as well as a bitter-sweet comedy, based on the British series by the same name. Kim Cattrall (as Davina Jackson) and Don McKeller (as Al Jackson) were both excellent in their roles. Kim Cattrall is definitely powerful in this role.

"Davina and Al try to revamp their lives and marriage as they struggle with the uncertainties of middle age."

This series, although the subject matter is somewhat upsetting and hard to watch, was a show that does get you thinking. Overall it was an interesting and moving series. Definitely worth the watch, though it does get upsetting at times. A good show.