sepial Review of In Her Skin

In Her Skin (2009)

The bravery to attempt explanation - an uncomfortable yet compelling watch

[8/10 · 13 June 2011]

From time to time you'll find filmmakers who won't have it easy on themselves. And when it comes to an attempt to explain such a thing as the murder of 15 year old dance student Rachel Barber you have to be such a filmmaker, as from the outset you won't be allowed to seek refuge in the cliché representation of a villainous male predator. Barber had been killed by her former sitter and neighbour Caroline Reed Robertson, here Caroline Reid, and it's her motivation that lies at the heart of the ongoings and the movie. Thus it was a wise and well working choice to have the story being told from 1st the victim's family's before the culprit's point of view, finally from that of the victim. After the very astute and convincing observation of the parents the most harrowing of these sections was the intimate dive into Caroline's world. The director was probably well advised not to mention Caroline's lawyers' suspicion that she'd been abused as a child, but within moments after her introduction it becomes clear that 'something profound must have gone wrong. Her neglecting father isn't let off well, and we're already induced to ask ourselves where abuse begins, e.g. with the bereft of the most basic of all children's rights and needs, love. Caroline grew into adulthood with no bricks to erect even just the most feeble confidence and self-respect. Instead she was consumed by self-loathing, unhappiness about her appearance and probably afflicted from very early on by that most vicious enemy that comes with alienation, loneliness. A malignant process furthered by incompetent parents whenever she attempted to make herself heard. Caroline's inner world is presented in much detail, foremost by acting, then also by her extensive diary-writing and scribbling on paper and walls. In contrast with the suffering of Barber's family one cannot accuse of an attempt to excuse, meanwhile it is vital to explain. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, hence while we're looking at a saddening world of distortion and disturbance hardly any of us will be able to fully comprehend, she was not declared legally insane, a distinction that poses a problem in contemporary psychiatry outside crime as well: if you're not psychotic you have – problems. No matter how clearly ill you are. The acting throughout is superb, with a special praise for Ruth Bradley as Caroline. She gets everything right, in particular the ricochets between desperate outbursts of uncontrolled self-hatred and sudden walls of defense. It's to fear that Bradley will fall victim to contests of model-prettiness and less controversial role-CVs in the movie industry, otherwise offers should rain down on her. In all, each actor's understanding makes them optimal extensions for North's filming tools, down to the realistic depiction of the traumatizing of Rachel's family. It's an uncomfortable yet compelling watch with no holes barred, making it hard if not impossible to rely on a quick condemnation of the murderess despite the graveness of the deed. My voting-system might be different from that of others, giving 10 to movies that have a power equal to a revolution, hence my 8, leaning towards 9, shall be a deep recommendation.