In My Skin and the Beauty of Body Horror

During the 2000s, the subgenre of ‘Modern French Extremity’ plagued horror-lovers around the world, with their gruesome scenes that induced spectators to look away in disgust and plots that will stay with you for years to come.

However, there’s a definite beauty to these films: they belong to a period of civil unrest in France, one where filmmakers were excited to break down every taboo in the book. This excitement is palpable through the majority of French Extremities I’ve seen, making them a wickedly interesting watch, even if I felt light-headed after watching them.

In my fascination with this subgenre over the years, I heard a lot about a film called In My Skin, and there was something about this one that fascinated me more than any other I had ever seen… Because it’s based on truth.

Editor’s Note: The following article by Jessica Baker-Moore includes spoilers for In My Skin (2002). Also, the film’s subject matter and the director’s behind-the-scenes true story heavily involves self-harm. I’ve been clean from self-harm since August 4, 2014 but it’s a struggle that’s always “with” me even if I don’t give in – and I know this subject can be “triggering” for many with personal ties to the topic. If you need help with suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org (not sponsored – they’ve helped me in the past). If you’re in immediate danger – to yourself or others – call 911. There’s zero shame in needing help sometimes! -Lauren*

Marina de Van’s Unexpected Feature Film Debut

In My Skin AKA Dans ma peau follows young adult Esther (Marina de Van) trying to navigate her new promotion at her desk job, her relationship with her partner Vincent [played by Laurent Lucas, an icon of the French Extremity, starring in Raw (2016) and Calvaire (2004)], and her need to harm herself after finding out that she feels no pain when she severely cuts her leg open.

After graduating from the French School for Cinematic Studies (FEMIS), Marina de Van found out that a pair of her former classmates were going to direct a film based on her personal experiences with self-harm. After getting word of this, de Van scrapped the idea she originally had for her directorial debut and decided to beat those students to the punch and direct a film about her ordeals herself.

While in a sense it’s clear that In My Skin is a directorial debut, it’s evident that Marina de Van had a clear view of what she wanted the film to evoke in audiences and how she wanted her story to be told.

Seeing BEAUTY in Body Horror Can Scar More Deeply Than Gore Alone

In terms of body horror, Esther’s body truly becomes a horror. There’s flesh eating, cutting legs with metal, and knives uncomfortably close to eyes.

However, unlike its extreme counterparts such as High Tension (2003) and Inside (2007), the violence in In My Skin is shot as though it is a beautiful thing to observe. The lack of non-diegetic music when Esther is cutting and eating herself, and the close-up shots of her face when she’s performing these acts lead the spectator to completely lose themselves in the film; it almost feels as though cannibalizing oneself is the most natural thing in the world.

Marina de Van, who took acting lessons for a year prior to filming, and has said many times that she knew she was the only person to act her story out. She felt other people would perform hurting themselves as an act of aggression, but de Van’s personal experience didn’t come from a place of hate, it came from a sense of grace towards her body. Even without knowing this context, the mise-en-scene and the lack of stylism in the most violent scenes already does this research for you which, to me, just proves that de Van knows exactly what she’s doing.

In My Skin Is THE Modern French Extremity Film to Watch!

The modern French extremity subgenre has been ridiculed and looked down on since its invention for being considered just ‘torture-porn’, and whilst it’s true that some lack any heart [Frontiers (2007) being a great example of this, in my opinion], Marina de Van’s In My Skin shows that a film can be grotesque and also have passion and meaning behind it.

In My Skin is an important piece of body horror, up there with David Cronenberg’s masterpieces, and should be treated as such. With its nightmarish imagery and harrowing special effects, it should be considered a vital film for any horror lover to watch, that will stay with you for long after your eyes leave the screen.

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