WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Did you ever wish to be someone else? It should be a forgone conclusion that we’ve ALL had moments thinking about what it would be like to be another person, whether via their career, their family, their look, perhaps even their whole life in general. Not out of any sense of envy, but rather from the standpoint of perspective, maybe to have a better understanding of what it is to live in a reality different from what we know. However, what if this possibility not only existed, but was a requisite for experiencing the ultimate intimacy? In a future world, Bea (Sorcha Groundsell) finds herself wanting to be more alive than her sheltered community would allow, while Lexi (Olive Gray) seems to already enjoy that sense of inner and outer liberation. When the two meet, and the night goes their way, what Bea wakes up to will alter her world forever–something she might not want to give up.
Next, my Mind:
While this critic continues to be open and transparent that cinematic explorations centered in the LGBTQIA+ realms are not a personal overall preference, what I’ve ALSO been FAR more consistently amazed at is the sheer number of efforts in said genre I’ve had the opportunity to view and offer opinion on that so beautifully transcend that baseline focus and present stories that speak so universally to us, permitting me to utilize words like “relatable” and “accessible” to point this out. Once more, that entire mindset has come to pass thanks to this new short film effort from director Mdhamiri Á Nkemi, writer Eve Hedderwick Turner, producer Sabina Smitham, co-producer Lennard Ortmann, plus executive producers Dionne Farrell, Venetia Hawkes, Sammy Wong, and Jon Wardle, selected to be part of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, with screenings on Thursday June 6th at 5:15 pm, Tuesday June 11th at 8:45 pm, and Saturday June 15th at 5:45 pm, all at the AMC 19th St. East 6 in NYC.
Arguably one of the most originally creative concepts this critic has encountered, the narrative we’re entreated to puts forth a future reality where two women from entirely different communities meet, encounter their mutual attraction, but then in order to have what they feel be fully experienced, must literally “swap” bodies to consummate it, with the subsequent aftermath becoming a potential point of contention for one of them. The degrees of tension, longing, release, stirringly potent notions about the very nature of attraction and how we see each other as human beings, and the entire idea of what cost there is when choosing to go against perceived or enforced, though often misguided and needlessly harsh, societal conventions is a tangible force to be reckoned with throughout the film’s abbreviated 12-minute runtime. What makes it so effective is that wholly intentional but intelligently conveyed, slow-burn execution that just pulls at you, even when knowing the story’s foundational premise ahead of time, as our innate natural curiosity about what this portrayed actuality would actually BE like is attention-grabbing in itself.
But, let’s take it BEYOND that core purpose and delve into the other thematic aspects the story brings into play within it, drawing on everything from the potentially stifling, repressive aura of religion that’s fueled only by dogma rather than any understanding or compassion, the ever-present, sadly, stigmas placed upon those of the LGBTQIA+ community, hence addressing judgmental, discriminatory, apathetic, or angry/disapproving attitudes towards those of that orientation, the pent-up frustrations of those on the receiving end of this, the yearning to simply BE who they are, and the evident cathartic liberation that being able TO express it provides are all conspicuously present or boiling in the underlying fabric of the narrative and within the two primary characters it follows. YET, the biggest impact it all has, for this critic anyway, is the totally-turned-on-its-head illustration of what it would be to, in this case literally, walk in someone else’s skin and the ramifications it could manifest, especially in having to give something up or back. The virtually immeasurable strength in how this is visualized and expanded on is paramount to the story, and puts LIFE itself into such a uniquely compelling light that’s overtly, fantastically, unavoidably evocative.
By the time the film’s third act comes around, it is a conclusion which carries SO much emotional relevancy and weight, almost in both enlightening and heartbreaking ways, and it puts a perfectly written cap on the events we’ve seen. The film’s visuals are sometimes stark, other times vibrant, and yet other times surreal in bringing the tale to life, and it works wonderfully while still remaining relatively uncomplicated and easy to watch. Also of note here is the accompanying music score from composer Seymour Milton that adeptly evokes both the futuristic atmosphere of the film’s setting but also the subtleties of the shifting moods delivered as the story progresses. Groundsell, first up in the thoughts on acting here, for me was a total gem through her role as Bea, a young woman who is entirely trapped within the confines of a distinctly tight-knit, rigidly formatted religious community who, even if by initial conjecture, appears to contain many a deep-seated, inflexible outlook on the surrounding world, including one’s orientation. However, even as Bea clearly doesn’t like the overall strictness of it, it’s only made harder with her buried sexuality and the taboo it represents.
Finally having the chance to get out for a bit and unwind in ANY way, she meets Lexi and from there, yet another taboo is broken in Bea choosing to hook up. However, what the consequences will really be for this decision will redefine the future for Bea and where she wishes her life to go, and Groundsell’s fully credible and emotive performance captures this, embodies this, with a completeness that captivates you, even in its most understated manner in which the actress presents it. We will not remotely take a single amount of equal credit away, though, from Gray and her turn here as Lexi, an outwardly footloose and carefree woman who manages to enticingly charm Bea and lead them to the intimate encounter they share, but of course with the understanding that in order to do so, the “swapping” will have to occur. While Lexi, again by conjecture, has no hesitations about them switching it up like they must to enjoy the night and then has no noticeable regrets in the afterglow, it is still another exercise in what we really DON’T see as to what her reaction to now living in the skin she inhabits is, and whether there will be another encounter between them ever again or not.
It shines a light on even a one-night stand and how it would affect things for those involved, but regardless, Gray does a magnificent job at playing Bea’s connection and, frankly, portrait of liberation, portraying the significance of this on multiple levels, that their union entails within the film’s thematic structure. Primary and additional supporting turns are made from Madeleine Worrall, Andrea Lowe, Fiona Forster, and Nick Haverson. So, in total, “Original Skin”, with its clever play-on-words title that is utterly on point for the film’s intent, soars above its fundamental horizons, taking a convincing and soul-convicting dive into the sea of sexual choice, religious hypocrisy and fallibility, prejudice, being a prisoner to misconception and skewed perceptions, racism, seeking to just BE, the price of taking a chance, and actually getting to KNOW someone else by doing what, in many ways, we should all have a genuine opportunity to do–walk in another’s skin. Because, by doing so, maybe we’d FINALLY reach the place of well-adjusted, fully understood, cognizant realization and acknowledgement of our shared humanity, NOT treating each other like strangers, but rather just EQUALLY, as ONE united organism, and with LOVE.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
