Knives And Skin
Director:Jennifer Reeder
Cast:Marika Engelhardt, Kate Arrington, Grace Smith, Ireon Roach, Kayla Carter, Ty Olwin, Tim Hopper
- english
French release UFO Distribution
U.S. release IFC Midnight
Production: Chicago Film Project
Running time:112min.
- U.S.A.
Year of production:2019
Synopsis
A tender, feminist teen noir that redefines the highschool movie.
In rural Illinois, a young girl’s disappearance traumatizes the small town residents, as secrets are revealed, destroying some relationships and strengthening others. Three girls, Charlotte, Laurel and Joanna, form a bond in the aftermath of the tragedy. Sophomore year in the racially diverse com- munity turns strange when a succession of traumas accelerates each charac- ter’s coming-of-age and mysteries emerge from every complication.
Their girlhood is a place of transcendence but also transgression in a movie that embraces its own style, reminiscent of such beloved teen classics like American Graffiti, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Breakfast Club, Dazed and Confused, Mean Girls and Brick that form part of its rich cultural DNA.
Knives And Skin is Jennifer’s second feature. Her first feature, Signature Move, world-premiered at SXSW and played in over 140 festivals around the world receiving the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding American Narrative Feature at L.A. Outfest in 2017 as well as best director at FilmOut San Diego. Reeder’s short work in the past ten years has been seen at a number of the major festivals around the world, including Berlin, Sundance, Rotterdam, London, SXSW, the Venice Biennale.
