Skinamarink (2023)

This is an experimental arthouse film that will defy easy explanation and likely leave the majority of audiences baffled. Not for the photosensitive, easily bored, or fans of traditional narrative. The filmmaking is purposefully grainy, unfocused, desaturated and disjointed. Audio distorted, garbled and nigh indecipherable. There are subtitles to help, but even then it is often difficult to discern whether or not they match the voices speaking. It is an extremely unconventional way to make a film, and certainly polarizing. Where it is masterful is in capturing a surrealness akin to visiting a liminal nightmare from the eyes of a child. Everything in the shots and framing are positioned to give a child’s perspective. The nature of the filmmaking relies on the imagination of the viewers to intuit and imagine what may lurk in shadow, behind obscured shapes, what torments lurk beyond sight, and what exactly is going on. A brief search online will demonstrate the breadth of theories, opinions and speculation about the film's possible meaning and symbolism, along with widely divergent opinions about its quality. While certainly an innovative throwback style, it feels far too long and ludicrously indulgent. While there are certainly chilling moments, and an overall unsettling atmosphere, not a lot happens and each scene seems designed to test one’s patience. This feels like an extended variant of the director’s earlier youtube short HECK, and his entire channel Bitesized Nightmares, which utilizes the same filmmaking style but to vastly greater impact in one third the time. Regardless, for all the polarizing opinions, there is nothing else remotely like this and it certainly warrants a watch to formulate your own. 

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