In My Mother’s Skin – Review. Best horror movie of 2023?

An interesting horror film has appeared on Amazon Prime Video, the creator of which has a chance to become a worthy successor to Guillermo del Toro. Here is a disturbing and terrifying movie called “In My Mother’s Skin.”

In my mother’s skin – a description of the plot of a horror film

“In My Mother’s Skin” is set in the Philippines during World War II. We follow the fate of a girl named Tala (Felicity Kyle Naples). She is the daughter of a wealthy Filipino family stuck in a mansion with her mother, brother, and housekeeper (My statement angel) While her father goes to participate in the fighting. At her mother’s (Beauty Gonzalez) After falling ill with a mysterious illness, Tala blindly trusts the captivating forest fairy (Jasmine Curtis Smith), who promises to cure her. Could anything go wrong?

In My Mother’s Skin – a fantasy and horror story at the same time

The first thing that comes to mind when watching “In My Mother’s Skin” is the obvious connection to films from the early phase of Guillermo del Toro’s career. Of the times he made thrilling, personal, creative and terrifying horror films that were beautifully shot and artistically horrifying at the same time.

Today, del Toro is a faint shadow of his former auteur, and although he still attempts to make dark films, they are too close to the mainstream and, more importantly, lack his earlier creativity and imagination. And at this theoretically perfect moment, In My Mother’s Skin director Kenneth Dagatan enters the stage and has the opportunity to take his place. Dagatan’s film clearly brings to mind works by del Toro such as “The Devil’s Backbone” or “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Of course, in the positive sense.

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Dagatan masterfully navigates the wilderness of tones and aesthetics, effortlessly maneuvering between nightmarish folk horror and unambiguous brutality. He begins his story by showing the drudgery of life during war, then transitions to the arrival of a fairy who brings a sense of wonder and hope, at least at first. “In My Mother’s Skin” is not only a reflection on the loss of humanity due to war, but also on the status of popular religion in one of the most devoutly Catholic countries in the world. The family often prays in front of the altar on which there is an image of the Virgin Mary. But as a hideous curse grows stronger, leaving Tala and her younger brother desperate, their prayers fall on deaf ears: the gods of folklore reclaim the land that belonged to them before the Spanish converted the island nation to Christianity. The fairy’s translucent halo turns the warm glow associated with the light of Christianity into a foreboding of doom, and her golden wings are less sacred than insecticide. Dagatan elevates this mischievous mythical creature into a symbol not only of the cannibalistic nature of war, but also of the inevitability of loss, forcing Tala to confront mortality as something cruel and inevitable—the most important and most painful part of growing up. .

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In My Mother’s Skin – Movie Rating

“In My Mother’s Skin” is an impressive and unforgettable horror film. Not even because of the horror images we’ll see, but because it’s not just an empty horror fest. Dagatan wants to tell us something about ourselves, even if he shows it in a painful way. Such films stay with us for a long time. The director also uses his modest budget skillfully, despite this, presenting us with impressive and stunning design elements. In addition to the fairy herself, who is wearing a costume inspired by Björk’s music videos, we will also see beautiful shots, including the ruins of houses in the forest and the hidden treasures that Tala discovers during her search. All of this is in stark contrast to the bloody violence that escalates towards the end of the show. It’s refreshing to see a horror film that is so innovative, with artistic ambitions, but at the same time doesn’t shy away from B-movie imagery.

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