There aren’t many films that make you want to lock yourself in the cinema toilet so you can cry a little in peace. Sci-Fi stories that are a surprisingly human vision of the future take to our breasts in order to negotiate our innermost being. Aus meine Haut by director Alex Schaad is such a film – and it has been in German cinemas since February 2nd.
That’s what the German sci-fi insider tip Aus meine Haut is about
Leyla (Mala Emde) and Tristan (Jonas Dassler) need a break where they can fully concentrate on their relationship. Then Leyla is severely depressed and in Tristan’s eyes, she’s not the woman he fell in love with for a long time.
So the twenty-somethings travel to an island where couples can experience something very special: For a weekend, they swap bodies with a randomly assigned other couple to rediscover themselves and their love for each other.
These esoteric ceremonies are led by Leyla’s school friend Stella living in her father’s body (Edgar Selge). But when Leyla and Tristan slip into the shoes of Fabienne (Maryam Zaree) and her chubby boyfriend Mo (Dimitrij Schaad, who wrote the screenplay together with his brother Alex Schaad), things get really complicated.
Sex Without Gender Boundaries: Out of My Skin is one of the most relevant German films of the year
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Fabienne, Mo, Tristan and Leyla (from left to right) swap bodies in Off My Skin
First of all, the sci-fi drama deals with the obvious: Am I still me when I’m in another body? What do I love about my partner and is that transmitted across gender boundaries? And: Is it cheatingif someone else is in my girlfriend’s body?
Out of my skin makes complex subject areas such as sexuality and gender tangible, shows one of the most beautiful queer sex scenes in a long time – and could thus make a valuable contribution to current social discussions. No wonder the drama won the Queer Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
The most impressive thing about sci-fi drama is its handling of depression
Most emotionally harrowing, however, is how the film deals with main character Leyla and her depression. Because a different body also means a different hormone balance. Or in this specific case: the freedom not to live longer as if you were caught in the mental quicksand of depressionwhich not only influences mood, but also physical sensation.
Depression can make you forget who you used to be and bring you to a point where every breath feels like an almost impossible task. To be able to trade that feeling for moments when everything feels lighter, less dull, dark and meaningless – who wouldn’t want that? The most revolutionary idea in Out of My Skin is the idea of finally being free from yourself.
Who am I when I’m in another body? For Leyla, the answer is clear: happy. That’s why the idea of having to get back into your own skin at the end of the body swapping experiment becomes her worst nightmare. Someone on the island will have to make a sacrifice. Because that is too a harsh reality of depression: Not everyone gets a happy ending.
More tips in the podcast: The biggest streaming films 2023 on Netflix and Co.
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2023 will be an exciting year in streaming. Not only do countless new series and seasons await us. Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Apple TV+ also have some interesting films at the start. In this episode of the Moviepilot podcast, we present 10 of them in more detail – from the big sci-fi blockbuster to the next potential Oscar nominee.
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