Leyla (Mala Emde) and Tristen (Jonas Dassler) are a couple in crisis. Leyla is battling depression and apathy towards life. In social situations, she has become very quiet and has stopped working. Throughout the film, there are touches of Leyla submerged underwater with the dim light above. It reminds her of experiences that are so painful that they defy description. The marks on her arms are the scars of her previous battles with these feelings. In an attempt to help her, her husband Tristen agrees to take her to a private island retreat at the request of an old friend of Leyla’s named Stella (Edgar Selge). It is an extraordinary place with Scandinavian sparseness infused with spa-style exuberance and decorated extensively with wood. The other couples seem almost giddy about what is about to happen. This remote locale offers something rather unique: the chance to swap bodies with another couple.
Alex Schaad’s feature debut “Skin Deep” is a stripped-down sci-fi drama that dares to explore the social and romantic consequences of its simple premise almost to the slowness of molasses. Body swapping movies are generally about giving the protagonist(s) a different perspective which, in terms of character development, is an opportunity for them to further grow.
‘Freaky Friday’ depicts how a mother and daughter’s life swap aids each of them tackle the issues of their age. “Heaven Can Wait“ provides a former football player with a new zest for life and appreciation. The anime may come closest to the idea of “Skin Deep” when two high schoolers, who have never met, start body swapping and decide to meet in person. “Skin Deep” gives this opportunity to Leyla allowing her to create a new version of herself as well as define her connection with Tristen, assuming he accepts her new version.
Schaad’s brother, Dimitrij, helped to co-write the film. While “Skin Deep” has its own narrative path, it pulls heavily from Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster.” To Schaad, the film explores and expands on the darker themes and implications of the procedure. Serendipitously, Tristen and Leyla switch with another dysfunctional pair, Fabienne and Mo. Tristen is so bothered by Mo that he prematurely undeletes the body swap and speaks with Leyla first, which is quite a tragedy. This causes Leyla to pair up with other people on the island while Tristen stays the same, awakening other unpleasant feelings and dialogues. For the women, this is freedom; for Tristen, it poses the challenge if he loves her in whatever form she presents herself as. Tristen imbibs “How intertwined do a couple have to be for the other to know exactly how the other feels?” This was, of course, pondered by Leyla as they gawked at a couple and simultaneously wished to be part of that relationship.
Still, I kept watching Schaad’s film and his depiction of sequels intercutting with higher and lower points of the lines along with Leyla’s journey to find herself. It was just one detail that seemed a little less personal or indirect reasoning.
One of the main characters Roman (Thomas Wodianka) comes to grief of losing his partner and decides to assist Leyla so at least one of them can be happy. He offers to help her as a rescue. Once this new body is within her, passions and joys that were once dormant come alive. However, as time approaches to body swap and leave the island, Leyla wants to stay. The concept of body swapping brings a multitude of ethical issues that need to be resolved, some of simply not being ready for its impact and others not having had their consent first. While the concept does get resolved, it feels so rushed when compared to everything else.
Regardless, Schaad’s ideas in relation to body-swapping therapy are indeed helpful. In the face of ever-growing attention to more fluid identities, the first part of the story is as relevant as ever: how do your relationships change, do they embrace you no matter who or what you are or do they shun you for it? With the aid of cinematographer Ahmed El Nagar and Production Designer Bartholomäus Martin Kleppek, Schaad’s camera rapidly (though not always smoothly) cuts between the close-ups of his characters and the rest of the island, with him providing just enough “evidence” for this futuristic yet rural couples’ retreat.
The actors successfully execute the incredible task of shifting personalities and taking care of body language changes associated with the character behind their eyes. While intertext aids the audience track who is in which physical form, it is to some degree needless since the acting is superb. For a rather simple science fiction without almost any special effects, it is surprising how much Schaad is able to accomplish alongside his audience on this emotional voyage with Leyla.
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