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The Man Who Sold His Skin (2021)
Trailer
Why watch this film?
Kaouther Ben Hania is one of the most interesting Arab directors of today, after 'Beauty and the Dogs' (2017), she returns to navigate through controversial and extremely important topics. In 'The Man Who Sold His Skin' the filmmaker discusses nationality and xenophobia by telling the story of a young Syrian who leaves his country to go after his great love and to get a visa in Europe he agrees to be tattooed by a famous contemporary artist - who turns him into a work of art. From there, we enter a terrain where the boy stops being seen as a Syrian refugee and becomes a product. This reflection makes us think how far the limits of the human being go and if it is really worth leaving our identity for other opportunities in life. Kaouther Ben Hania works with a very controversial theme and that resonates in our minds for a while. The director is an incredible example - not only for being a female filmmaker, but for showing the strength of Arab stories.
Filmelier
Our suggestions
Sam Ali, a young sensitive and impulsive Syrian, left his country for Lebanon to escape the war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he accepts to have his back tattooed by one of the World’s most sulfurous contemporary artist. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
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Where to watch?
Available at home
From the same director
Beauty and the Dogs
"Aala Kaf Ifrit" is an extremely relevant (and also hard to watch) movie about how power and authority can intimidate and threaten individual rights of citizens - specifically women. Through the story of a young woman who is raped by police officers, we see that the situation can get even worse when the aggressors are embraced by the system and not the victim, who suffers from start to finish, before, during and after the abuse. Director Kaouther Ben Hania ("The Man Who Sold His Skin") has crafted a story so unsettling with the film's editing that you can feel in the character's shoes and it's revolting. As with any production on this subject, however difficult it may be to watch, it is necessary as unfortunately this is an everyday occurrence in a woman's life. And there is no other way to portray it, any abuse being brutal and completely repulsive. The performance of the protagonist Mariam Al Ferjan is simply breathtaking, with just a look she can convey everything she is feeling, she doesn't even need to make a sound. "Aala Kaf Ifrit" is based on a true story, the saddest part of it is that we know it's not the only account of it and it won't be the last.
I and the Stupid Boy
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