Skinamarink will premiere February 2, 2023 on Shudder.
Synopsis
In Skinamarink, two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished. To cope with the strange situation, the two bring pillows and blankets to the living room and settle into a quiet slumber party situation. They play well worn videotapes of cartoons to fill the silence of the house and distract from the frightening and inexplicable situation. All the while in the hopes that eventually some grown-ups will come to rescue them. However, after a while it becomes clear that something is watching over them.
Review
Over the course of the past 12 months I’ve complimented Shudder a number of times on the diversity of their slate of original movies. Now, with the release of Skinamarink on the horizon, the premium horror streamer is branching out further with this incredibly experimental title from writer/director Kyle Edward Ball.
An incredibly self-assured directorial debut, nothing about Skinamarink is straightforward. From the off-kilter camera angles to the muffled dialogue. Every aspect of the film’s 100 minute runtime is carefully constructed to side-step the normal approach to filmmaking.
Brother and sister Kevin (Lucas Paul) and Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) awake in the middle of the night to find not only is their father missing, but so are many of the doors and windows in their house. Opting to sleep downstairs in front of the TV, the two awake in the morning to find that things are only continuing to get stranger. More aspects of the house are disappearing whilst some kind of malevolent voice calls out to them from the dark.
The premise is extremely simple. The entire film is constructed around the confusion both children feel as they continue to exist inside this unstable and unpredictable situation. Ball uses the abstract presentation to keep the audience two-steps behind at every turn, never opting to reveal the truth behind the haunting.
Followers of Ball’s work will know his experimentation with visualising nightmares has formed the basis for much of his body of work to-date. Skinamarink is no different. Throughout the film it’s easy to presume this could be a nightmare which one (or perhaps both) of the children has found themselves trapped. The dream analogy also works to add context to come of the film’s bold creative choices.
Shot on digital in his childhood house, Ball puts his trust in cinematographer Jamie McRae to bring his nightmare to life. The composition of the frame beautifully encapsulates the claustrophobic, poorly lit interior of the hose. Often choosing to focus on abstract angles and single light sources to populate the frame, much of Skinamarink is bathed in the inkiest of blues, cold and uninviting. Brief glimpses of Kevin and Kaylee often come from distant vantage points or with the camera focussed on barely visible body parts, their faces masked by furniture or obscure angles.
The soundscape of Skinamarink is constructed in a very similar manner. The hum of electrical devices and sometimes even the vacuum of empty space fill the minimalist soundtrack, masking the tiny voices of the children as they struggle to comprehend their situation. Some scenes opt to use subtitles to clarify dialogue whilst others leave the moment up to interpretation by the audience. Ball certainly makes us work for our supper in this time.
But for all its wondrous otherness, Skinamarink will not be for everyone. Clocking in at 100 minutes, the film is lengthy for something so abstract and devoid of sound. Those who struggle to connect with its approach to filmmaking in the first act will likely find it drags on to an unsatisfying conclusion. Whilst those who are able to connect with its abstractivity will no doubt find the slow burning tension a captivating experience.
Verdict
Skinamarink is not for everyone. It’s off-kilter, abstract approach to filmmaking is truly unique and mystifying. But with a 100 minute runtime, its minimalist nature threatens to alienate some in the audience.
⭐⭐⭐
