COLD SKIN
Fantasia 2018 Film Festival Review
Review By Jeff Sanders
COLD SKIN is an incredibly strange film by director Xavier Gens (FRONTIER(S), HITMAN) reserving his talents of horror and action to instead make a wary and ironic Western based on Albert Sanchez Piñol’s novel of the same name. The film feels noticeably old school in its minimal cast and production, choosing an emphasis on character and setting over elaborate set pieces and special effects. Not that there are no effects, this is a creature feature after all, one cast member (Aura Garrido) is in full fishwoman regalia the entire film, but in post-Avatar/Pirates of the Caribbean movieland, these silver screen splashes could be considered Douglas Sirk to the ADHD that fills the multiplexes.
The film opens with Friend (David Oakes), a young Maritime Signal Technician being dropped off on a mostly uninhabited Arctic Island at the brink of WWI to make way for a naval hub. His proceeding tech has disappeared and left a notebook highlighting distressed Anti-Darwinian illustrations involving a man and fish copulation and the resulting manfish-taking-over-the-island dilemma that will be occupying the rest of the film’s runtime. It’s after this he meets Gruner, the only anterior occupant on the island (played by Ray Stevenson, who looks like Dan Haggerty, but acting possessed by the soul of a Baltic Klaus Kinski). He is grisly on the inside and out… and also very nude at times. Gruner wants nothing to do with young Friend and Friend doesn’t want much to do with Gruner, but after the manfish siege Friend’s cabin and Friend accidentally burns down his domicile in protest to the occupation, these two opposites become bunkmates at Gruner’s haunt, the old maritime lighthouse, fully-equipped and fortified with impaling weapons. This is where Friend discovers that Gruner has another occupant, a beautiful blue fishgal name Aneris (Aura Garrido in a great performance). He treats her like a dog, but also has sex with her. It is weird, disturbing stuff, as mentioned before. At night, the fishpeople continue to siege the island and Gruner and Friend fight off the “Toads” as they are called, with guns, ammo, ax, and spear. Aneris lets out a disturbed cry on the roof of the lighthouse during battle in a scene that is quite effective. This is all that should be said about the plot because 1) you should see it for yourself, and 2) films this strange begin to sound very absurd and unappealing the more they are talked about, which isn’t fair for this one.
Gens actually does quite a good job handling this absurd material. The cinematography and production design are top notch. The creature design is Oscar caliber. The performances are strong. The writing is paced well and action is executed with thoughtfulness towards violence. The problem lies with a little too much going on in the short runtime and mixed messages about creatures that are non-indigenous having their home taken away. Also, there are lots of “why would they do that?” moments. Why would he burn down his cabin? Didn’t he know that would happen? Why do the “Frogs” return when the sun goes up? Why do Friends motivations keep changing? Some of the plot feels a little too convenient. We have seen these tropes before.
The film is going to be compared to THE SHAPE OF WATER, but Del Toro piloted a film that lends itself to ManFishSex more appropriately than this one by choosing to focus on the amphibious relationship forefront. COLD SKIN is more of a man-taking-on-an-enemy-of-his-own-creation in a land-not-of-his-own-to-stake-his-claim-in-the-world, also with ManFishSex. This is a shame because Aura Garrido is the best part of the film. She feels feral, complex, innocent and feminine against a backdrop of violence, masculinity. and exploitation. There was some untapped potential that could have made for a better film with a longer runtime developing Friend, Gruner, and Aneris. Still, though, there is a lot to admire.
COLD SKIN never quite finds itself resonating the way that it wants to, but is still an ambitious and unique offering with good performances that should be sought out for those who like their socially conscious-action-horror- siege film a little fishy
Fantasia Film Festival is from July 12th – August 5th
