Skin (film)
Encyclopedia
Skin is an 11-minute short film starring Ewen Bremner
and Marcia Rose and directed by Vincent O'Connell. Produced by Tapson/Steel Films for British Screen and
Channel 4 Films
(now Film4 Productions), it was filmed in September 1995. The screenplay was written in the summer of that year by British
playwright
Sarah Kane
.
It was first screened at the London Film Festival
in October 1995, and was later given its television
debut on Channel 4 at 11.35pm on June 17, 1997. An original airtime of 9.40pm was pushed back after television executive
s became worried about the depiction of violence
and racism
in the film, which, according to the British tabloid The Daily Mail
, they saw as "one of the most violent and racially offensive programmes ever to be made for television in this country".
Vincent O'Connell was nominated for a Golden Bear award in the category "Best Short Film" for the film at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival
.
The film's screenplay was only Kane's second work, written after her 1995 debut Blasted
but before 1996's Phaedra's Love
. The screenplay appears in the complete collection of Sarah Kane's work, Sarah Kane: Complete Plays, published in 2001 by Methuen.
Bremner and Rose, who had never met prior to making the film, became romantically involved during its shooting, and subsequently had a child together.
, London
, but then finds himself drawn to Marcia, a black woman whose flat is visible from his window. He visits Marcia and the couple have sex. From this point, the power dynamic between the two begins to reverse: in separate scenes, she slaps his face repeatedly as he is tied to the bed, feeds him dog food, and scrubs off his tattoos with bleach (significantly, this includes a tattoo of the Union Flag
). Finally, Marcia carves her name on his back. Despite his pleas, she rejects him, finding solace with Kath, her flatmate, while Billy unsuccessfully takes a drug overdose
.
Ewen Bremner
-Early life:Bremner was born in Edinburgh, the son of two art teachers. He attended Davidson's Mains Primary School and Portobello High School. He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance in show business by television director Richard D. Brooks. One of his first notable...
and Marcia Rose and directed by Vincent O'Connell. Produced by Tapson/Steel Films for British Screen and
Channel 4 Films
Film4 Productions
Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel 4. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company's first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982.- History :Before 1998, the...
(now Film4 Productions), it was filmed in September 1995. The screenplay was written in the summer of that year by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Sarah Kane
Sarah Kane
Sarah Kane was an English playwright. Her plays deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture — both physical and psychological — and death. They are characterised by a poetic intensity, pared-down language, exploration of theatrical form and, in her earlier work, the use of...
.
It was first screened at the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
in October 1995, and was later given its television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
debut on Channel 4 at 11.35pm on June 17, 1997. An original airtime of 9.40pm was pushed back after television executive
Corporate title
Publicly and privately held for-profit corporations confer corporate titles or business titles on company officials as a means of identifying their function in the organization...
s became worried about the depiction of violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in the film, which, according to the British tabloid The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, they saw as "one of the most violent and racially offensive programmes ever to be made for television in this country".
Vincent O'Connell was nominated for a Golden Bear award in the category "Best Short Film" for the film at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
.
The film's screenplay was only Kane's second work, written after her 1995 debut Blasted
Blasted
Blasted is the first play by British author Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1995 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. This performance was highly controversial and the play was fiercely attacked by most newspaper critics, many of whom regarded it as a rather immature attempt to...
but before 1996's Phaedra's Love
Phaedra's Love
Phaedra's Love is a play by British playwright Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1996 at London's Gate Theatre, directed by the author. The play is a modern adaptation of Seneca's Phaedra...
. The screenplay appears in the complete collection of Sarah Kane's work, Sarah Kane: Complete Plays, published in 2001 by Methuen.
Bremner and Rose, who had never met prior to making the film, became romantically involved during its shooting, and subsequently had a child together.
Plot
Billy, a young skinhead, joins in a brutal racist attack on a black wedding party in BrixtonBrixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but then finds himself drawn to Marcia, a black woman whose flat is visible from his window. He visits Marcia and the couple have sex. From this point, the power dynamic between the two begins to reverse: in separate scenes, she slaps his face repeatedly as he is tied to the bed, feeds him dog food, and scrubs off his tattoos with bleach (significantly, this includes a tattoo of the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
). Finally, Marcia carves her name on his back. Despite his pleas, she rejects him, finding solace with Kath, her flatmate, while Billy unsuccessfully takes a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
.
Cast
- Billy – Ewen BremnerEwen Bremner-Early life:Bremner was born in Edinburgh, the son of two art teachers. He attended Davidson's Mains Primary School and Portobello High School. He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance in show business by television director Richard D. Brooks. One of his first notable...
- Marcia – Marcia Rose
- Kath – Agnieszke Liggett
- Neville – Yemi Ajibade
- Mother – Dave AtkinsDave Atkins (actor)Dave Atkins was an English actor mostly known for portraying Sharkey in Britannia Hospital, Moving Man #1 in Clive Barker's Hellraiser in 1987, and pub landlord Les in Men Behaving Badly....
- Terry – James Bannon
- Martin – Dominic BruntDominic BruntDominic Brunt is an English actor known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as vet Paddy Kirk. He was educated at Accrington Moorhead Sports College....
- Nick – Gregory Donaldson