Skinamarink taps in to my newest fear as a first time parent which is my son being alone somewhere in potential danger without any help. I’m not a helicopter parent and I don’t let my fears get in the way of me enjoying fatherhood but on the inside I feel like I worry about being a parent 24/7. Skinamarink feels like the kind of worry-dream I would have about my son. The film follows a brother & sister trying to navigate through their home at night which transforms & shapeshifts room by room (the fuzzy 90's aesthetic makes the experience even more disorienting).
Skinamarink plays off of the fears many of us had growing up like something/someone hiding under the bed, trying to make out what we think we see when the lights go out, or having to shut the lights off downstairs then immediately run upstairs to escape the dark. This is a fairly ambiguous movie so there are bound to be lots of interpretations...
Skinamarink is getting a lot of well-deserved buzz but it isn’t for everyone. There are some obvious nods & visual similarities to more recognizable things like Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Shining and Black Christmas:
But Skinamarink gets a lot of it’s inspiration from unexpected sources like Chantal Akerman & Michael Snow. These aren't the most " deep cut" filmmakers but I doubt the average/casual movie-watcher is familiar. But for someone like me who has dedicated a large portion of this blog to Akerman's work - this is a dream...
Skinamarink is getting a lot of well-deserved buzz but it isn’t for everyone. There are some obvious nods & visual similarities to more recognizable things like Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Shining and Black Christmas:
Then I did something where I stole something from The Twilight Zone movie - Kyle Edward Ball, theinverse.com
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| Twilight Zone: The Movie / Skinamarink |
The Shining didn't necessarily get the response it gets today and that's because it's not scary. It's creepy, and creepy only gets creepier with age. Scary fades. Creepy is forever - Kyle Edward Ball, Rogerebert.com
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| The Shining / Sinemurian |
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| The Shining / Skinamarink |
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| The Shining / Skinamarink a lot of the scenes in the movie, when I was talking with my DOP, I’m like, “Okay, so this is my Black Christmas shot - Kyle Edward Ball, Knotfest.com
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Director Kyle Edward Ball has also cites Maya Deren and David Lynch as inspirations...
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| Blue Velvet / Skinamarink |
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Meshes Of The Afternoon / Skinamarink |
But Skinamarink gets a lot of it’s inspiration from unexpected sources like Chantal Akerman & Michael Snow. These aren't the most " deep cut" filmmakers but I doubt the average/casual movie-watcher is familiar. But for someone like me who has dedicated a large portion of this blog to Akerman's work - this is a dream...
Chantal Akerman's work definitely influenced it - Kyle Edward Ball, Fangoria
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| La Chambre / Skinamarink |
An entire separate study could be done about the visual & thematic similarities between Hotel Monterey and Skinamairnk. Both films rely heavily on the potential creepiness of the unknown...
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| Hotel Monterey / Skinamarink |
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| Hotel Monterey / Skinamarink |
even one-off stuff like the short film Wavelength (Michael Snow, 1967) - Kyle Edward Ball, Fangoria
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| Wavelength / Skinamarink |
Sidenote - this is the third horror film in a row that I’ve covered on here to draw inspiration from Chantal Akerman (click to read my thoughts on Earwig & We’re All Going To The World’s Fair). At this point I would rather Akerman's work influence something new instead of another straight up arthouse imitation.
I said something similar in my last two horror reviews and I’ll say it again - this film takes patience. It’s boring in a great kind of way. And similar to when Jeanne Dielman unexpectedly kills her john, when something frightening happens in Skinamarink - it’s worth the wait. And you probably won't even see it coming...
