After a hugely successful debut at the Berlinale, Jennifer Reeder’s KNIVES AND SKIN has come to be seen as a contemporary feminist take on the teen film, evoking references ranging from TWIN PEAKS to RIVERS EDGE. We are very excited to be presenting the New England premiere.
Knives and Skin follows the investigation of a young girl’s disappearance in a rural Midwestern town that hovers just above reality, led by an inexperienced local sheriff. Unusual coping techniques develop among the traumatized small-town residents with each new secret revealed, and the ripple of fear and suspicion destroys some relationships while strengthening others. The backdrop of trauma colors quintessential rituals—classrooms, school dances, courtship, football games—in which the town’s teenagers experience an accelerated loss of innocence, while their parents are forced to confront adulthood failures. With notes of Twin Peaks and It Follows, this mystical teen noir presents coming of age as a lifelong process and examines the profound impact of grief.
Directed by Jennifer Reeder (USA, 2019, 111 min.). Digital. Narrative feature.