My Skin
By John Oak Dalton • Apr 28th, 2005 • Category: NewsA young woman has been murdered in a crime of passion, and Death stops by to take the victim into the afterlife; but, upon arrival, Death finds out that the woman was taken too soon, and now his ledger is out of balance. Infuriated by the paperwork, Death methodically begins to unravel the seemingly perfect crime and plant clues—from dredging the murder weapon out of a lake to writing a confession in the murderer’s own handwriting—to set the books right once more.
Genuinely original and offbeat, Christopher Alan Broadstone’s short My Skin is anchored with a memorable performance by Tony Simmons in what amounts to be a single, corrosive monologue on one set. Simmons’ lurching, simmering Death, all gravelly-voiced and scrabbling tics, imbues the short with crackling energy.
High-end production values and a chilling score suffuse the short with dread, and Broadstone’s great shooting, editing, and post-production elements really make this short a cut above. Set design and costuming especially are at Hollywood levels, while retaining indie street cred in dialogue and plotting; an admirable balancing act. My Skin has made the rounds on the festival circuit, deservedly so, and is worth seeking out.
Four stars
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John Oak Dalton is a Community Television Station Manager by day, and a DIY acolyte by night. In the 80s he made Super-8 movies and his own basement mix tapes. In the 90s he hosted a cable-access show and made his own zines and minicomics. In the 21st Century he began working with grassroots video and microcinema and writing b-movies, and has more than a dozen projects on the shelf, on screen, in development, or in production.
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