TIFF 2008 Early Reviews: Afterwards & Skin

Afterwards

Directed By Gilles Bourdos

Likely to be criticized for its structural fallibility and its overly sentimental ruminations on the nature of existence and the anxieties involved with acknowledging mortality, Afterwards is a lyrical and occasionally beautiful visual poem that essentially crumbles under the weight of its own ambitions.

A lack of relationship and character development between the leads ultimately keep the film from having the emotional impact it strives for—especially in an epilogue that should, in theory, have been devastating—regardless of the occasional graphic and unexpected violence towards children and well-intentioned players. On the upside, sincerity and a refreshingly ‘unhip’ atmosphere make these flaws substantially more palatable and forgivable.

After dumping a mourning client’s law suit based on his projected income from the case, Nathan (Romain Duris) is visited by a peculiar physician named Garrett Goodrich (John Malkovich), who proceeds to lecture Nathan on human kindness and hypoglycaemia. Nathan is initially convinced that Garrett is a nut bar but soon changes his tune after the good doctor accurately predicts deaths.

Assuming his own mortality is on the line; Nathan reluctantly follows Garrett’s advice by visiting with an old friend (Pascale Bussieres) who is about to die and rekindling his broken relationship with his ex-wife (Evangeline Lilly), which ended following the SIDS-related death of their infant son. Annihilation anxiety is explored with depth, as Nathan responds with anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance with genuine fears of the unknown and a desire to thwart design.

Allegories and imagery involving swans and cactus flowers are a little trite but not entirely unwelcome given the lyrical nature of the film. They add to the overall aesthetic, which hits a high note whenever Malkovich has a glowing vision of impending death. This is the kind of film that is best digested with emotion rather than analytics and will likely divide audiences based on their personal predilections.

Skin

Directed By Anthony Fabian

Feeling more like an ethnographic biography than anything particularly cinematic, Skin tells an interesting story in a discerning, yet detached and glossed-over manner, which does little to make the film exciting or memorable. While the story itself should theoretically make for an emotional and engaging experience, the television movie vibe and a tendency to rush through and oversimplify several serious life events that span over twenty-five-to-thirty years in the protagonists life, leave an overall feeling of expositional hollowness.

Based on a true story, Skin follows the life of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), a black girl born of two white Afrikaner parents, Abraham and Sannie (Sam Neill and Alice Krige), from her childhood through to her adult life. As a child, her parents try to integrate Sandra into a South African educational system that did not allow the inclusion of black children. Given that her birth certificate indicated a “white” status, she was able to attend school initially but was later classified as “coloured” and rejected.

The film then follows Abraham’s struggle to reinstate his daughter’s “white” certification, while Sandra continues to feel like an outcast from her visually different peers. This all inevitably leads to rebellion, further suffering and damaged relationships.

Factual aspects of the film, such as tests that were done to identify a person of colour (examining ones posterior, putting a pencil in their hair and asking them to jump up and down), succeed in peeking interest and reaction but seem to be presented for shock only, adding an emotional element to a narrative that is unable to spark that involvement sincerely.

This is only exacerbated by an uneven performance from the lead, Sophie Okonedo, which—by no fault of her own—goes from awkward and shy (as conveyed through hunched shoulders and “gee-willickers” glances) to confident and assured without enough time spent on the actual development that would naturally progress her character from frightened to placid.

It is a shame that Skin is only passable, given the significance and power of the source material, but for most, passable will suffice, as a documentary (which would have been more appropriate) likely would not appeal to a wider audience.

Toronto International Film Festival 2008For a full line-up of TIFF films, check out www.tiff08.ca.

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