There is a great piece of special effect work at the heart of this film. As the title suggests (states), the male character of the central couple, fully removes his skin for his partner – spending all but the opening seconds of the film as a glistening, bloody biological model of sorts. It is to the credits film that you get beyond this very quickly, and that I found that after a few shots where I focused on the technical aspect of it, really I was more drawn into the situation rather than the effects. The story is narrated by the woman of the couple; she is happy that he has done this for her, even though it has some downsides, however he changes through the film – clearly not happy with the change his sacrifice has brought compared to the interrelationship benefits which haven't really stepped up.
I will not say it is a perfect modern parable in this way, however there is a lot of interest to see this relationship where one of the partners has significantly changed himself for the benefit of the other. The sense of excitement early on is one thing, but with friends, with work, and just fundamentally within himself, he starts to be unhappy with the change – or rather the fact that he has given up so much and not seem to have had a lot back. The film doesn't push this onto us, but the woman of the couple does seem to have the easiest role, and although we hear her voice and not his, we do not see anything in her life where she sacrifices, apart from dealing with the impact of his new look on their furnishings.
It is patient as it does this, and I enjoyed the slow pace, and the fact that the film itself sits back with the woman as the narrator – letting us see things ourselves while also being within her perspective to a point. I would have liked that it maybe go deeper with this aspect, but it still works as a relationship study, albeit an extreme one. Technically the film is well made, and as good as the central effect is, I also enjoyed the attention to detail around the set, with bloody smears and marks. The two leads are very good, but ironically the film belongs to Maguire with her narration and ability to silently deliver feeling and thought. Armesto is solid but broader and more obvious with his emotions and, while the special effect is good, he doesn't totally act/move like he is wearing less, rather than more. Still, as a pair, they work very well together.
Initially arresting for its title and effects, it is a film worth getting into because there is an engaging and interesting relationship piece here – even if it is not a wholly successful one.
I will not say it is a perfect modern parable in this way, however there is a lot of interest to see this relationship where one of the partners has significantly changed himself for the benefit of the other. The sense of excitement early on is one thing, but with friends, with work, and just fundamentally within himself, he starts to be unhappy with the change – or rather the fact that he has given up so much and not seem to have had a lot back. The film doesn't push this onto us, but the woman of the couple does seem to have the easiest role, and although we hear her voice and not his, we do not see anything in her life where she sacrifices, apart from dealing with the impact of his new look on their furnishings.
It is patient as it does this, and I enjoyed the slow pace, and the fact that the film itself sits back with the woman as the narrator – letting us see things ourselves while also being within her perspective to a point. I would have liked that it maybe go deeper with this aspect, but it still works as a relationship study, albeit an extreme one. Technically the film is well made, and as good as the central effect is, I also enjoyed the attention to detail around the set, with bloody smears and marks. The two leads are very good, but ironically the film belongs to Maguire with her narration and ability to silently deliver feeling and thought. Armesto is solid but broader and more obvious with his emotions and, while the special effect is good, he doesn't totally act/move like he is wearing less, rather than more. Still, as a pair, they work very well together.
Initially arresting for its title and effects, it is a film worth getting into because there is an engaging and interesting relationship piece here – even if it is not a wholly successful one.