Screening times:
Friday, April 5, 6:30 PM - Half-capacity screening
Saturday, April 6, 6:30 PM - Half-capacity screening
Alex Schaad | Germany | 2023 | 103m | German with English subtitles
with Jonas Dassler, Mala Emde, Dimitrij Schaad, Thomas Wodianka, Maryam Zaree
Seeking a retreat where they can salvage their struggling relationship, young couple Leyla (Mala Emde) and Tristan (Jonas Dassler) travel to a remote island at the invitation of Leyla’s childhood friend Stella, where it soon becomes clear that what the island offers is more mysterious than a simple vacation.
Leyla and Tristan join another couple in a ritual to exchange bodies and see the world through the eyes of someone else a chance to find themselves or, for some of them, a chance at escape. Free from the constraints of her former body, Leyla quickly finds she has never been happier, with a fresh outlook on life and a new sense of release and fulfillment. But when she refuses to return to her old self, the situation threatens to spiral out of control.
Subverting genre as it toggles from science fiction to intimate relationship drama, Skin Deep tells a story that transcends bodies and presumptions of gender, questioning the fluid possibilities of what it means to truly love someone.
Director Alex Schaad suggests the film is asking questions of its audience: "To what extent can our body adapt to the development of our personality? Or is it an unchangeable, insurmountable limit to which we must adapt throughout our lives? What happens when body and mind are out of harmony? And how do we define 'mental health' in this context?"
"With the ability to switch taken for granted, it goes deeper into its premise, emerging with unsettling and profound thoughts about love, and trauma, and gender, and intimacy." -Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times - Critic's Pick
"Though as fresh and conceptually far-reaching as a David Cronenberg film, it traffics in body ambivalence more than body horror, striking an eerie, wistful tone." -William Repass, Slant Magazine
"For a modest sci-fi with next-to-no special effects, it’s remarkable how far Schaad can take his story and his audience on this emotional journey." -Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com
Queer Lion Winner - Venice Film Festival
Tickets $8.75 ($8 cash at the door if available).
Half capacity
Half capacity
