Spoilers would suggest name tags.

Unavoidably I always end up running into a film in Fantasia that challenges a lot of preconceived notions about what it means to be yourself. And yet, this premise has been used too much in comedy and rarely in a serious manner. Hardly you’ll find a drama that takes it so far as this one and still manages to come full circle.

Skin Deep (2023) was directed by Alex Schaad. Leyla (Mala Emde) and Tristan (Jonas Dassler) arrive at a communal retreat where a special ritual allows you to swap bodies with somebody else. When they are randomly paired with another couple, Fabienne (Maryam Zaree) and Mo (Dimitrij Schaad) with different results. Leyla feels liberated by the experience. Tristan is reluctant and wants to return back as soon as possible. For Leyla, it’s an adventure to pursue a different identity and she doesn’t feel comfortable -literally- in her own skin. For Tristan, it’s a battle between what he knows and what feels strange to him. Identity, gender and sexuality become completely fluid. But whether or not they really can reconcile their differences and stay together is a different challenge.

This is one film which execution rests entirely on the performance of the cast. We can still recognize both characters in different bodies, although Leyla feels reborn and Tristan becomes withdrawn. And yet, it never quite feels like neither individual are happy with the other’s choice. Whether they can arrive at a compromise is the big debate. The ending still feels like a compromise. Should they both sacrifice part of themselves to be together? I couldn’t help but think that as poetic the resolution, it doesn’t quite ring true.

Recommended for open minded audiences with reservations. This one is a challenge to your idea of self. Does compromise to another person can still exist when the other person suddenly looks like a stranger? Should you stay together when your happiness seems to lie being someone else? I’m still not sure, which is why I can’t agree with the ending. Worth a watch for an appreciative audience not afraid of debate.

That will do for now.