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Review

It’s interesting (and encouraging) that actress Marina de Van’s feature directorial debut In My Skin has been so enthusiastically received in horror genre circles, with articles in genre publications and screenings in horror film festivals. In My Skin is not a genre film in any traditional sense, but it explores themes of physiological horror with unsparing ferocity and intelligence – and it stands as the most disturbing and unnerving film of the year. De Van (a former Francois Ozon collaborator who co-wrote his films 8 Women and Under the Sand) wrote and directed the film, and also portrays protagonist Esther, a seemingly normal young woman who develops an increasingly abnormal fascination with her own flesh after accidentally cutting her leg in a fall. Esther soon becomes obsessed with her skin, a fixation that manifests itself through self-mutilation and increasingly severe cutting – behavior that drives away her boyfriend, leaving Esther to explore this newfound obsession alone. The sequences of self-inflicted body violation make for admittedly grueling viewing, but de Van is not employing transgressive imagery purely for shock value purposes; rather, these graphic moments exist as rigorous, unsparing delineation of the main character’s gradual psychological implosion, making In My Skin unsettling viewing, both emotionally and viscerally. Whether viewed as chilly, cerebral Gallic character study or intellectual arthouse horror film, de Van’s directing debut stands as one of the most powerful and challenging films in recent memory. Highly recommended.

 -- Travis Crawford