original skin
2023 · 13m · UK
Directed by Mdhamiri A Nkemi
Tones: contemplative, sensual, surreal, tender
In an alternate world where having sex means swapping bodies with the other person, a young woman named Bea struggles to be herself while defying her small, conservative community where body-swapping is taboo. A surreal, intimate portrait of identity and self-discovery.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Sex-as-body-swap as queer identity allegory, with macro photography of sand and wax instead of CGI. The experimental-transformation choice is genuinely interesting — shame the video isn't available anymore.
Sex-as-body-swap rendered through macro photography of sand, glass, and melted wax rather than CGI — Nkemi is making the precise material-intelligence choice for the metaphor. The YouTube link being dead is unfortunate; the conceit alone deserves circulation.
Original video is taken down so I can't verify, but rendering body-swap transformations through experimental macro photography of sand, glass, and melted wax instead of CGI is a smart material-level commitment to a metaphor about identity-as-substance. The premise has rigor; the link is gone.
Reviews
Arguably one of the most originally creative concepts, with slow-burn execution and emotional weight. Sorcha Groundsell is a total gem with a credible and emotive performance.
An audibly, visually, viscerally mesmerizing and resonating short film.
Festivals
- Tampere Film Festival 2023
- Norwich Film Festival 2023
- Tribeca Film Festival 2024