I enjoyed this film very much, the slow pace, the disturbing
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Reflecting Skin
uutuus — 21 years ago(June 21, 2004 06:42 AM)
I enjoyed this film very much, the slow pace, the disturbing
theme and how the landscape had a large role in the film.
I haven't seen many other films like this, others than Urga (the Sign of Love I think is the English title) and the Winterguest, Alan Rickman's beautiful film.
Please, tell me some names of other films like these!
There are many films that are set in a beautiful landscape but where this is used more as a sidescene than something that is central to the story.
The whole film can limp because the characters in a film are set in an environment they don't react to or seem like a part of. For some reason some epic films set in the countryside have stepped into this trap. -
christopher_munich — 21 years ago(July 08, 2004 02:26 AM)
I agree with you concerning the unbelievable and disturbing beauty of Philip Ridleys masterpiece. Just watched "Io non ho paura" ("Im not scared") yesterday and was intrigued, in how many ways this movie reminded me of "The reflecting skin". Beautifully shot, yet still disturbing and filmed entirely from the sight of the kids, you should find everything in here, that you loved about "Reflecting Skin". Enjoy!
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PaulLondon — 21 years ago(July 20, 2004 07:24 AM)
Another film that intelligently uses the landscape to evoke atmosphere is the masterful "Days of Heaven". Although it doesn't have the surrealist touches of Reflecting Skin it has the same elegaic atmosphere and is well worth checking out
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uutuus — 21 years ago(November 11, 2004 11:31 AM)
Thank you, Skin and Bones and all the others.
Some of your recommendations I have seen before, some I have found thanks to you and there are many that you have mentioned but I haven't found yet. I'll keep looking.
I found "Io non ho paura" on dvd recently, now thats a disturbing and beautiful film. "Days of Heaven" was another recommendation I got from here and actually bought, the landscape is beautifully used in the film. "Picnic at Hanging Rock" I have seen before and loved. It is one of scariest films I have seen, with that broad daylight and the sense of fear
Passion of Darkly Noon, have I also seen before. That's a twisted little film, but didn't touch me in the same way as Reflecting Skin.
I'm a huge fan of both Lynch and Cronenberg. The other mentioned directors I have only seen a few films by. There are some trouble minded films made among those directors
So thanks again for your recommendations, I'll keep looking. If it just wasn't so difficult, even Pasolinis most famous films are almost impossible to find (for renting or at the libraries). -
Stuntrocker — 21 years ago(December 20, 2004 05:11 AM)
some other highly recommended titles
1.Dont Look Now(PARAMOUNT DVD)
2.Goerge Washington(CRITERION DVD)
3.Badlands(WARNER DVD)
4.Onibaba(CRITERION DVD)
5.Kwaidan(CRITERION DVD)
6.Walkabout(CRITERION DVD)
7.Black Narcissus(CRITERION DVD)
8.Peeping Tom(CRITERION DVD)
9.Aguirre Wrath Of God(ANCHOR BAY DVD)
10.Fitzcarraldo(ANCHOR BAY DVD)
11.The Wicker Man(ANCHOR BAY DVD)
12.Sisters(CRITERION DVD)
13.The Innocents (This is perhaps the greatest film ever made and was just released in August 2005 for $14.95, so pick it up)
14.Wise Blood (OOP VIDEOTAPE)
15.Black Sunday by Mario Bava(IMAGE, MARIO BAVA COLLECTION DVD)
16.Once Upon A Time In The West (PARAMOUNT DVD)
17.92 In The Shade (OOP VIDEOTAPE)
18.Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia(MGM DVD for $11.95!)
19.Sante Sangre (You can find this on at www.exploitedcinema.com)
20.Black Sabbath (IMAGE, MARIO BAVA COLLECTION DVD)
Whew!
I hope everyone can find all of the films on this list, even though they are quite different than "The Reflecting Skin" They are all masterpieces!
Peace -
sambogni61 — 20 years ago(April 21, 2005 08:38 AM)
One more in the same vein: Paperhouse (1989, I think)British, I think, but I haven't seen it since it came out. Has the childhood fantasy/horror plot element, and pretty atmospheric, too. Worth a look.
Also, this is a little askew to that theme, but Jan Svankmajer's (sp?) Alice has a nicely dark tone to the very familiar story.
Hope that helps, and thanks everyone else for all the recommendations. My Netflix queue just grew. -
Donald_McKinney — 20 years ago(June 16, 2005 03:20 AM)
Although it's not out until later this year, I recommend Terry Gilliam's Tideland. They sound spookily similar!! They're both set out in middle-America, the main character is a kid with an overactive imagination, and they have a strange neighbour. And they're both set in America, but both shot in Canada. Coincidence??
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ramifications — 20 years ago(September 03, 2005 06:49 AM)
uutuus I think I know what it is you are looking for. The Reflecting Skin is one of my favorite films. I'm guessing you are looking for something lurking in an open space instead of the obvious claustrophobic film. something intense, intelligent, unnerving and haunting. something evil that found it's way inside a serene picture. something good trying to escape an ugly place, or something ugly trying to slip into a good place. Sometimes to hide in plain sight is more frightening than dark corners we can avoid.
In short, it's about contrast.
Here are 10 films in no particular order with the same feel:
Felicia's Journey
The Pledge
Flesh and Bone
Twin Falls Idaho
Santa Sangre
Frailty
Suspiria
The Wisdom of Crocodiles
Kalifornia
The Talented Mr.Ripley -
uutuus — 20 years ago(September 06, 2005 01:49 AM)
Thank you all, for your recommendations!
It is interesting to see what films people come to think of when using the Reflecting Skin as a starting point. What most films (but I have not heard of all your recommendations, so I might be wrong) in common is the focus on disturbance, people in desperate situations. But this is something that can take many shapes:
The Innocents
The Pledge
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Butcher Boy
(I saw Clark's Bully yesterday, a film that mercilessly captures how people cannot BEAR what they have done ALONE, they have to share their stories and guilt)
Ramification, you give a beautiful description of films that I look for, films that portray "something evil that found it's way inside a serene picture", as you put it.
Again: Thanks a lot!!! -
sccreative — 20 years ago(September 22, 2005 02:07 AM)
stuart kenny 33 is quite right about "tideland" i can't WAIT for this film to come out and it most certainly suggests a similar atmosphere and approach to "the reflecting skin" (if you're interested, the entertaining and moody spooky website for tideland can be found at: http://www.tidelandthemovie.com/intro.html) in fact, it was the very thing that made me look into "reflecting skin" again
but i mostly wanted to respond to your query to suggest "vigil", a haunting and magical film from new zealand which i probably discovered about the same time as "reflecting skin", so i have them sort of indelibly locked together.
"But it doesn't mean anything" a Von Trapp kid. -
Dxfiler — 20 years ago(October 14, 2005 12:35 AM)
This is a fantastic thread. It's enough to make me post my first post ever.
I've seen alot of the films above and agree they are similar to the "Reflecting Skin". Another movie I'd like to add to the list is "Northfork." It's extremely atmospheric, arguably as tragic, and just a tad more surrealisitc. The setting plays a HUGE role in the film. There are also various religious references, just more obvious than in "Reflecting Skin."
I haven't seen Wicker Man yet (I know, I know :p), but I've heard that's on the same level as Reflecting Skin so i can't wait to see it.
Again thanks for the thread.- Dxfiler