The Man Who Sold His Skin

Now we get to five.

Five International Films up for the Oscar, and now, Five International Films seen. The last film on the list is Tunisia's entry, The Man Who Sold His Skin. Kaouther Ben Hania's film is loosely based on the story of Wim Delvoye's "living exhibit," Tim. What does the story offer?

Syria, 2011. Sam Ali (Yahya Mahayni) and Abeer (Dea Liane) are very much in love. One day, Sam proposes to Abeer in a crowded train, an act which gets him arrested. His sister sneaks him over to Lebanon just as the Arab Spring begins. Abeer moves to Brussels after her family marries her off to diplomat Ziad (Saad Lostan). Sam wants to get her back but he can't afford a Visa. 

Sam starts frequenting art galleries for food. One day, he gets the attention of artist Jeffrey Godefroi (Koen De Bouw) and his assistant, Soraya (Monica Bellucci). Jeffrey offers Sam to tattoo a Schengen Visa on his back as "a flying carpet" to Europe. Sam accepts the offer and he becomes Jeffrey's living exhibit in Brussels. At first, he's happy with the arrangement, even as Human Rights Activists are not. But he soon wants his autonomy back. How will he get the world off his back?

I'll cut to the chase and answer that question. Sam gets free with a gallingly-clever ruse. It's perhaps the most striking subversion of a cruel twist ending in recent film. You'll just have to get through most of the 103 minute film to get to that ending. 

Mahyani is a pretty good lead as Sam. His proposal to Abeer is endearing, albeit misguided, especially with him saying "it's a revolution." So he's willing to try anything to get her back. He's fine as long as he can be with Abeer. He even rudely objects to a Human Rights Activist's offer to help him. But he soon realizes his living exhibit job isn't good; he can't even interact with museum patrons. His plan to get out of his situation starts with a rather desperate hoax.

Now for a few others. Liane as Abeer is just as compelling as Mahyani. Bouw as Godefroi flatly admits he's Mephistopheles to Sam when they meet. Their deal is Faustian, but we see Godefroi's good side by the end. Belluci is OK as the icy Soraya. We even get a cameo from Delvoye as an insurer. There's quite a few highlights in the technicals. Amin Bouhafa's score is striking, as are Christopher Aoun's cinematography and the production design. 

The Man Who Sold His Skin is both an angry satire of the art world and a love story. It's an odd mix, and it felt slow at first, but its story got me interested in due time. The audacity of its twist ending perked my attention a lot. It's ready to watch on a few streaming services. But you'll have to hurry if you want to watch it before Sunday's Oscars. Tick tock.