UNDER THE SKIN

SYNOPSIS:
Iris (Samantha Morton) and Rose (Claire Rushbrook) compete for their mother’s love. Iris (19) is convinced that Rose (24), happily married and pregnant, is her mother’s favourite. It comes as a devastating shock to both sisters when their mother dies suddenly of cancer. Unable to grieve, Iris loses all sense of herself and starts on a path of self-destruction. She leaves her job, breaks up with her boyfriend Gary (Matthew Delamere) and becomes promiscuous. Her irrational behaviour isolates her from her friends, and she grows lonely and lost. She sinks lower and lower, being humiliated, mugged and used. The overwhelming chaos of Iris’s life has now touched Rose and the two finally share the pain and confusion of their mother’s death.

"Carine Adler’s feature debut is a revealing look at a young girl’s way of coping after the death of her mother. Dealing with the sensitive issue, Adler broaches the subject with poignancy, sensitivity and strength. It is a brutal depiction of emotional devastation and grief experienced by the greatest of losses. Adler has based the ideas on forensic psychiatrist Estela Welldon’s book Mother, Madonna, Whore, where the basic premise is that men externalise their anger and grief, while women internalise it and head down a path of self-depravation, mutilation or promiscuity. Interesting concept, and one that could no doubt be the forum for much discussion. Under the Skin is a powerful exploration, canvassing phases of denial, anger, self-hatred and losing all sense of self and self-respect. It shows the black sordid path to nowhere that a profound emotional tragedy or shock can bring. We humans are a complex lot, and our emotional persona is often hidden, even to ourselves. The great power of Adler’s film comes from the handling of this extremely complex subject. The juxtapositioning of scenes such as the coffin being enflamed at the crematorium with scenes of sexual promiscuity are unsettling and make for emotional discomfort. The cast is tops, with a stand-out performance by Samantha Morton, whose plaintive, child/woman vulnerability shines on the screen. Compelling to watch, Under the Skin is sad, poignant, moving and revealing cinema. Insightful, it goes to the core of human emotions, making a complete journey."
Louise Keller