My only criticism of this fine film is that I would have liked it to be longer. And to my knowledge it has not been seen in the UK. If that is true I apologise for the country I live in. First the acting. Faultless, and sometimes blisteringly moving. I thought of ' Rebel Without A Cause ' and the conflicts between families and their children in that film. ' Aus der Haut ' holds the same balance of generational difference and hazardous reconciliations. Merlin Rose plays the troubled son, both ferocious and gentle as a 17 year old who realises he is gay. Expressing his desire for a school companion played beautifully by Leonard Proxouf,( the young actor who was so good in Michael Haneke's ' The White Ribbon ' ) he misjudges his timing to show his sexual need and his world becomes literally askew. He nearly loses his life in a suicidal accident and after that loses his respect for his emotional and sexual needs by going with an older man. The sexual scene between them is clearly more abusive than emotional, and is saddening to watch. Counterbalancing this aspect of the film is the relationship between his mother again excellently played by Claudia Michelsen and his father played by Johann von Bulow, and there is a scene where the father cries that somehow echoes his son's sensitivity. This emotional outcry of pain need not have been there, and was there due to perfect acting and perfect direction and scenario writing. No more spoilers but I would like to point out that this is not your usual coming out film, but an exploration of mainly four people torturing themselves and each other by misunderstandings, homophobia and their needs for a sexual and emotional life that can work in a semi-broken world around them. I had no idea that this was a television film, and I hope it was well received. For me it was a perfect film that deserved an award for its complexity, and the inner truths that are so hard to express whatever age you are.
Review of Shed My Skin
