I am not in the habit of rewriting my reviews, but this one gets a makeover. I think it’s hard to make a movie that doesn’t invite comparisons to other work. I also think that each movie should be reviewed on its own. This one certainly has David Lynch influences, but I believe I did err on the side of over-comparison, if such a term exists. There’s not much I have changed but, if you are one of the few that subscribes to get my posts via mail, you will probably notice some differences.
Knives and Skin is written and directed by Jennifer Reeder. Its premise starts with the disappearance of a teenager named Carolyn Harper (Raven Whitley). This event affects people in town differently, specially the students at local high school she attended. As all small towns – actually strike that – as all media fiction about small towns, everyone has their secrets. Some related, some less so. Now, there’s no puzzle here to solve. This is not a murder mystery. It’s a mystery, but not one to solve. It’s just one to witness.
This is one of those films I could easily watch without a plot. The performances are well suited and discovering how messed up each character is makes for most of half the fun. You also have things that glow and disappear in and out without explanation. Why and how don’t always have a motive for them, so you have to either enjoy the ride, stay perplexed throughout the movie or both. An added element is the a capella songs from the eighties that break into the storyline now and then, completing the landscape.
Recommended for the fans of the strange and unusual with some restrictions. Don’t expect a big reveal or a huge twist at the end. What you’re seeing from the start is what you’re getting right to the end. It lacks some satisfying conclusion in that respect. Some of the characters do experience character arcs, so there are story threads to follow. Casual audiences might get bored. Weird ones are already summoned.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 