Really Surprised!

Beautiful, moving film.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Just watched this film a couple days ago, and haven't really been able to let go. I'd been meaning to watch it, along with a few other gems associated with the New French Extremity, for quite some time now, and managed to find it at a local (but amazing) video store.First of all, this was one of the most deeply uncomfortable viewing experiences of my life. There isn't the typical fast, exaggerated gore typical to most films in the genre. The violence is slow, drawn out, gnawing and scratching, sickening, shameful, secretive.Second, and what has struck me the most, is that this is the most honest and brutal depiction of self-harm/self-mutilation I've ever seen. Truly. I've been a cutter for some time (thankfully recovered), and at its worse it was catastrophic and insane. There's a strong element of shame. You isolate. But what this movie nails the most, that not only is missed in other depictions but has always been hard for me to describe, is the depersonalization, the dissociation from your own body. The restaurant scene tackles this concept quite literally, in fact. It's still hard to really put into words, so I'll let this movie talk for me.If you're looking to push your boundaries or witness one of the more devastating downward spirals committed to celluloid, definitely check this one out.

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?

This film was great in a way, but also quite graphic. Some of the scenes left me hiding away, and yelling "no, don't do that!" I quite like how graphic it is, but it is also a film that is hard to understand. I think it shows how no one understands her desire to self harm. No one truly understands self-harm in the real world, unless they have been through it themselves. One thing I really didn't understand was the ending. I won't say what it was (because spoilers) but it wasn't the greatest. It didn't leave me feeling emotional at all, and it felt like that shouldn't have been the end.I had no emotional attachment to the characters. I felt absorbed into their lives, but I didn't hate them or love them, I didn't feel anything for them. I guess that isn't such a bad thing, as it means I'm not crying my eyes out on top of a wet pillow or something. I am a self harmer, and I was recommended this film by someone else who self-harms. It is good to watch, if you are not easily triggered by images of wounds, but if you are easily triggered, then I would say don't watch it.