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In My Skin AKA Dans ma peau (Blu-ray 4K)
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Severin Films Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (18th May 2025). |
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The Film
 23 years ago I went to see "In My Skin" at a Film Festival, it was programmed as the midnight screening on a Friday night. The theatre was packed with festival goers in anticipation for a film many had only heard rumours about and a short synopsis description in the festival guide. As soon as the film started the air felt tense, you could hear a pin drop and what unfolded over the next hour and half was one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen, and I've seen "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom" (1975), I've seen "Cannibal Holocaust" (1980), "Audition" (1999), "Irreversible" (2002), and I've seen "A Serbian Film" (2010), I have seen my fair share of challenging and difficult films, but "In My Skin" was not just made to shock and disgust, it was deeply physiologically complex and you feel a sense of dread and uneasiness throughout. An incredible feat to achieve, and the film's ending has lived rent free in my head ever since. No other film of its kind has ever had such a profound effect on me as this one, and it's been 23 years since I've seen it until this Severin 4K arrived on my doorstep. Marina de Van’s "In My Skin" is a raw, unsettling exploration of self-destruction, alienation, and the fragile relationship between mind and body. It’s a film that resists easy categorization: part psychological horror, part existential character study. Through her audacious directorial style and harrowing performance as the protagonist, Esther, de Van offers a deeply personal yet universally disturbing portrait of internal collapse. At its core, "In My Skin" tells the story of a young woman who, after suffering a seemingly minor accident at a party, begins an obsessive descent into self-mutilation. What initially appears to be a fascination with her injury spirals into a compulsive need to feel, control, and ultimately possess her own flesh. The film doesn’t sensationalize or explain Esther’s behaviour in neat, clinical terms. Instead, it invites the audience to sit — often uncomfortably — with her ambiguity, her fractured consciousness, and her intense physicality. De Van’s approach to body horror is unique and intimate. Unlike the visceral shocks of David Cronenberg or the grotesque spectacles of mainstream horror, her portrayal is subdued, methodical, and disarmingly calm. The camera lingers on Esther's rituals without flinching, emphasizing the mundane textures of skin, blood, and muscle. This observational detachment paradoxically pulls viewers closer, forcing them to confront the vulnerability and strangeness of their own bodies. One of the film’s most brilliant moves is its rejection of psychological exposition. Esther’s motivations are opaque; there is no neat backstory of trauma or abuse. This refusal to rationalize mirrors real-world experiences of compulsion and dissociation, where understanding often remains elusive even to those who suffer. De Van trusts the audience to grapple with uncertainty, a rare and bold choice that enhances the film’s lingering unease. The performance by Marina de Van herself is astonishing. She embodies Esther with a mix of fragility and ferocity, making her both sympathetic and horrifying. There’s a chilling normalcy to her deterioration, a slow drift rather than a dramatic breakdown. Small details — the awkwardness in social settings, the quiet rebellions against professional expectations, the gnawing dissatisfaction — accumulate into a portrait of someone slipping out of sync with the world around her. Visually, the film is stark and claustrophobic. De Van and cinematographer Pierre Barougier employ tight framing and disorienting compositions that mirror Esther’s increasingly fractured self-perception. The muted colour palette, punctuated by the vivid redness of wounds and blood, reinforces the sense of emotional numbness and physical immediacy. Sound design also plays a crucial role: the amplified noises of flesh being pierced and torn are grotesquely tactile, making the viewer hyper-aware of their own corporeality. Despite its grim subject matter, "In My Skin" is not nihilistic. Instead, it captures something profoundly human — the struggle to feel alive, to assert control, to reconcile the mind’s abstract desires with the body’s inescapable reality. De Van does not offer solutions or redemption. She leaves us with a lingering discomfort, an open wound of a film that continues to fester in the mind long after it ends. In short, "In My Skin" is not an easy watch, nor is it meant to be. It is a daring, singular work that cements Marina de Van as a fearless artist willing to probe the darkest recesses of human experience. For viewers prepared to endure its difficult journey, it is an unforgettable cinematic experience.
Video
Severin has presented this film in its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 mastered in 4K 2160p 24/fps and using HEVC compression codec, the image is enhanced with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The transfer was created using the film's original camera negative and the result is beautiful. I don't have anything to compare it to other my memory of seeing it theatrically, but this image is excellent. The colors appear natural, especially the skin tones, blacks and are a little noisy at times. There's a nice light layer of grain inherent in the print, fine detail looks good. Overall this image is top notch.
Audio
Four audio tracks are included in French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Surround, French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround, and English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its 5.1 audio, the sound mix mastered in 24 bit, much like the image is equally impressive. Dialogue is clear, surround channels are active, score is immersive, subtle ambient sounds are well mixed. Optional subtitles are featured in English only.
Extras
In My Skin makes its 4K and Blu-ray debut from Severin with a fantastic collection of supplements. Below is a closer look. DISC ONE: 4K UHD This disc features the the film in 4K and is accompanied by an audio commentary by screenwriter/director/star Marina de Van. This track is in French with English subtitles, in this detailed track the filmmaker comments on the development, themes, and shooting process for the film. She offers character motivations and on the body mutilation/horror elements of the film that is the cornerstone of this film. A second audio commentary is included by film critic/Fantasia International Film Festival programmer Justine Smith, Smith talks about the film's style and aesthetic, on it's impact on the genre, among other things. While I enjoyed listening to the director in the previous track, this one was my favorite of the two. Next up is an exclusive "Faculty Of Horror Episode" On IN MY SKIN With Andrea Subissati And Alexandra West, this is a podcast that plays over the film much like a commentary. These two are clearly fans of the film and have talked about it on their podcast, I liked the idea of basically including this as a third commentary, offer more insights into the film dubbing it an "Extremity" film and explore the anxiety the film produces in viewers. The disc also features the original French theatrical trailer (1:39) as well as the U.S. theatrical trailer (1:50) DISC TWO: Blu-ray: This disc features the film in standard HD 1080p and is also accompanied by the same audio commentary by screenwriter/director/star Marina de Van. The second audio commentary by film critic/Fantasia International Film Festival programmer Justine Smith is also included. The film has an Introduction By Kier-La Janisse, Author Of "House Of Psychotic Women" (3:48) she talks about the importance of the film and how it influenced her work. "Exposed Skin" Interview With Marina de Van (23:00), the director delves into the personal influence including her own struggles with self-mutilation. "Fear Of A Female Cannibal – Barbara Creed, Author Of "The Monstrous-Feminine", On IN MY SKIN" featurette (21:09), the author talks about a Women's New Wave of cinema and offers social commentary about women in horror films among other things. "Under The Surface" is a video essay By Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Author Of "1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018" (17:16), the author takes us through the film's themes in a detailed examination. The same "Faculty Of Horror Episode" On IN MY SKIN With Andrea Subissati And Alexandra West as seen on the 4K is also included here. As are the the original French theatrical trailer (1:39) as well as the U.S. theatrical trailer (1:50). Marina de Van's Student Shorts are also included and are: - "Bien Sous Tous Rapports" (1996) (11:53) - "Rétention" (1997) (15:35) Finally there are also Additional Short Films that feature themes of body horror: - "Cadavre Exquis" (Léa Mysius, 2013) (26:16) - "A Fermenting Woman" (Priscilla Galvez, 2024) (23:53) w/ optional audio commentary by director Priscilla Galvez and star Sook-Yin Lee
Packaging
Packaged in a keep case with a special diagonal split hard box. Limited edition of 2500 copies only.
Overall
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