Indie Gems: In Her Skin

Can we be best friends?

In Her Skin follows Mr. and Mrs. Barber (Guy Pearce and Miranda Otto) as they search for their missing 15 year old daughter, Rachel. (Kate Bell) The police think she's a runaway, she fits the profile. She had a fight with her mother the night before, key items are missing from her house, the only clue they had was that she was going to a "job" that was going to pay her a lot of movie. Eventually the focus shifts to their old neighbor, 19 year old Caroline, (Ruth Bradley) a deeply disturbed, insecure girl who seems to be fascinated by Rachel. She craves the attention of her father (Sam Neil) and he barely shows her anything. Caroline thinks killing beautiful, perfect Rachel will solve all of her problems.

If you ignore the bad editing, this film is very interesting and even at times, beautiful. This was based on a true story, and the film doesn't hide who the killer really is. I have to say the performances were wonderful, particularly Bradley's who goes from hot to cold in a matter of seconds. It's obvious Caroline had a lot of mental issues that either weren't addressed properly or not at all. Judging from the film she probably should've been in an institution getting better. Not that it's an excuse for what happened. Rachel's death scene was one of the most horridly realistic things I've seen in awhile. It was heartbreaking. Obviously I'm not from Australia, and I don't know how their justice system works, but it's also surprising to learn that Caroline only got 20 years in prison for premeditated murder. She'll be out next year.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "I bet your parents don't know you as well as they think you do." - Caroline (Ruth Bradley)