Under My Skin

Trailer.

Available Summary:

"Denny, a free spirited artist falls for Ryan, a strait-laced lawyer. Young love ensues, but when Denny begins to explore gender, Ryan’s ingrained values are challenged. As Denny finds they can no longer ignore their true self, pressures mount and the couple seek to negotiate the shifting sands. Denny is played by four different actors, exploring four chapters in their story." -Wikipedia.

Jack's Summary:

This is more of a breakup movie than a romance movie. Denny moves in with Ryan, who assumes them to be a cis woman. Denny, still questioning their gender and not sure who they are, doesn't initially correct him. This sets the pair off on a journey of chaos and domestic conflict that feels almost uncomfortably real. Under My Skin could be a guidebook on how to not act in relationships. It's a mutual mess.

Throughout the film, Denny is portrayed by four different non-binary actors; Liv Hewson, Bobbi Salvor Menuez, Kylo Freeman, and Lex Ryan. It's a way to communicate how multi-faceted gender can be, especially during the early-transition phase. I found the result a bit strange, but it's a cool concept and I liked that the movie did something different.

What I really didn't like about this film was that Denny binds their chest with bandages, which is undeniably dangerous. I'm really sick of early-transition exploration being used to justify that tired old trope, and I'd hoped this movie would be better than that. Denny has a smartphone and easy access to information about binding. They should've been shown using a safe binder from the outset, skipping bandages altogether.

Even when they do move onto a binder, it's a clasp binder, and it looks dangerously similar to the harmful clasp binders available on sites like Amazon. See this page, for an in-depth explanation of why that is an issue. And, style of binder aside, the reasons for using a binder instead of bandages are not addressed. It is not obvious to the viewer that Denny might use a proper binder to reduce the pain, harm, and risk of binding, all of which are heightened when using bandages. A viewer could still walk away from this film reckoning that bandage binding is a good idea.

Another thing I really didn't like is that Ryan is sexually harassed by his boss with less than 15 minutes left in the film. It was a random scene that was deeply uncomfortable and, most importantly, Ryan is not shown experiencing any comfort, closure, or care afterwards, with the harassment going unaddressed in the film's narrative. Then, with less than 6 minutes left, Denny is called "it" by the same creep, almost as though the filmmakers included Ryan being sexually harassed just to emphasise that people who maliciously misgender trans individuals are unsavoury, which... is a message that really didn't need to be reinforced with a gross harassment scene. It struck me as very unnecessary, almost like an afterthought. And, considering the fact that Denny has aggressive and dubiously consensual sex with Ryan earlier in the film, this last-minute scene really solidifies the feeling that Ryan is a victim.

All in all, this is a messy film that not everybody will enjoy, but at least it was something interesting and different.