Skin is based on the true story of Bryon Widner, an American white supremacist who turned on his former friends when he began to question the beliefs that had been drummed into him since he was a young teenager. As his face was covered with offensive tattoos he also had to go through painful surgery to remove them.
Jamie Bell, a long way from Billy Elliott, stars as Widner and he fully immerses himself into the role admirably. He is suitably scary in the early scenes amongst his gang members. His change of heart is less convincing, but that is more the fault of Guy Nattiv’s script rather than Bell. Although this is a 2 hour film, his conversion seems rushed and hard to believe, based on how it is presented in the movie.
Also, Widner’s girlfriend’s story is not properly fleshed out. She is, to an extent, behind his change in mentality, but never seemed to have a problem with his views, even taking her young daughters to a Nazi rally, where they first meet. But again, Danielle MacDonald is better than the material deserves.
Nattiv is a better director than writer, though he tells the story in a functional and non-flashy way. There are also some excellent performances in the supporting cast. I liked Mike Colter as the activist and opponent that Widner turns to, and Very Farmiga – so bad in Godzilla: King of the Monsters earlier this year – is chilling as the matriarch of the skinhead clan.
The story is an important one, even if it does not exactly break new ground, but it is the performances that make Skin worth watching.
Rating: 7 out of 10