He Took Off His Skin For Me

I suggest you watch the short film before reading the critique (It's a 10 minutes movie)

Link: http://hetookhisskinoffforme.com/

P.S: It might not suit all viewers due to what might be considered gore, But it's worth a watch, and gore was not their intention. There is a deeper meaning in all of this. Trust me.  

He Took Off His Skin For Me

How far are we willing to go for those we love?

This short film directed by Ben Aston, based on the hunting short story written by Maria Hummer, gives us the extreme form of self-sacrifice that ends with dire consequences.

It starts with a simple question; “Is this what you want?” These five seemingly innocent words could destroy and leave nothing but ruins, because one had to put his own desires in the shadow and put the spotlight on the other person’s wishes instead.

That other person might vary through your life. It could be a parent with their not so unconditional love, a best friend that demands you to be there for them while not doing the same in return, or even a lover, a person you chose to give your heart and soul to.

In this short but lingering work of art, we see how the sickly need to please can gradually affect not only the person but also the whole structure of the relationship. As we gradually expand our horizon from family to school to the full society, we are always encouraged to feed that innate need of being accepted.

We listen to our parents, we try to fit in as teenagers and we change so much about who we are, stripping from our believes, principles, values, and ethics to satisfy others, who chose us for those little things they keep altering and shattering, until we become a mutated image of who we once were.

In this relationship portrayed to us, the couple has reached the radical extreme of giving up someone’s own skin for the other. He exposed himself fully for she was able to “see everything.” At first he was glowing with joy for making her happy, despite of what he had to go through, because it was all for her, and she was worth it, wasn’t she?

But when you commit to something that wasn’t initially your choice, you start to feel its weight on your soul. The aftermath of his compromise started to catch up with him. 

Not everyone accepted his new self, because that’s what usually happens when someone changes for anyone other than himself. He was struggling day by day, for he didn’t just expose himself to her, he exposed himself to the entire world because something as containing as “skin” was a form of protection, a shield and a safe haven that he shed.

He was slowly dwindling, you can see it in the way he walked, he used to stand so tall but now barely looks past his steps, the change was also clear in his words as he started using simple “Yes” or “No” answers, when he Loved to “use many when a few would suffice.”

He started missing his skin and the person he used to be, his skin was like a safety blanket, and he felt like a punished kid who was forced to sleep without it. As resentment filled him for giving up a part of him for her, the blaming game starts.

He was never given the chance to go back, because she made it feel like it was a condition for her to love him. That if he had gone back regardless of how uncomfortable he was without his skin, she wouldn’t love him anymore. Just like how parents consciously or unconsciously link their love with how the kid is acting. Therefore we grow up believing that’s how love works! That you have to fit your loved one’s mold, and it goes deep and infect our psyche.

Another interpretation to this deeply agonising picture is how she asked him to strip off his skin, seeing his soul, and his vulnerabilities while she kept her guard and walls up. From the very beginning, the relationship was askew. Some people are too scared to show their true self yet they force others into a 100% transparency rule, no secrets, and no hideouts.

As in the shower scene, she might have felt the guilt of her selfishness, but she wasn’t able to pledge to it and remove her skin as well. And even though she had suffered through washing the sheets, cleaning the house and paying the gas bills to get to her skinless utopia, she still did put her desire first even when she was seeing him crumpling in front of her.

As time passed by, you can see neglect as it settled in the relationship, she couldn’t follow up with washing the sheets, or cleaning the house. The blood stains filled the place instead of words as they lost all form of communication with each other. Even then she felt what was stirring inside of him, but she chose to ignore it. She said that it was “either he had less to say or he felt he was already saying it” and that was exactly it.

He was communicating his dismay through actions, through the searching glances he gave her, the pain that altered the structure of his face as he realized that she would never accept him, as he is, that she rather takes that disfigured version of him instead. As they lay in bed for the last scene, you can see anger etched in every bare muscle of his face, his fingers travel her body to reach a soft cluster of skin, and what she mistook for a loving sacrifice became a lasting grudge, her face drank up the panic as he ripped her skin as harshly as she did with his soul.

This dangerous urge to please and be accepted has always been in our DNA; it has its merits because as long as you’re accepted you are protected within the group you belong to. And as long as you’re liked you’ll get to choose a mate for reproduction. It might be a valid need for humanity but let’s not forget how consuming it could be for the individual spirit of a person. We tend to walk through life choosing paths we don’t want, we strip off our beliefs, values, and principles for the sake of who we love, we do things like major in something that doesn’t interest us in college, or pick a job we hate instead of doing what we love just so we can please others.

Those things, all those small compromises can be destructive. Even though we keep telling ourselves that it will be worth it in the end as we get to our ultimate goal which could be a proud look, a pat on the back, or full acceptance.

But in the end, our hearts might wonder; is it worth it to lose oneself -piece by piece- for those flickering moments of their un-lasting satisfaction?