The Man Who Sold His Skin

This is the year movie, its describe the true nature of human, its beautiful piece of art, this movie made me cry sometimes, I want to be part of it next time actually cause I have lots to say about some situation int the movie.

This movie had much potential to be a masterpiece, but most of this potential was lost due to bad acting and bad script.

The Man Who Sold His Skin is a pretty good movie. And it's one about art that to an extent shares my feelings and opinions of it. Meaning, that I was naturally inclined to like it as soon as I understood what was going on... And I did. But the movie comes with its own collection of flaws that are a little too big to miss. The greatest complaint I have is that the movie overall seemed aimless. Aimless in that there was no one destination the writers felt comfortable diving deep into. Rather, the movie keeps itself safe on the surface; often finding itself at the door of a sophisticated and thought provoking conflict, but hesitates entering or engaging with those questions. Another minor complaint is the ending; which after all what the movie has been about, felt a little too cheesy. Overall, I like what the movie is about, and I'm glad I watched it. The complaints I have are not too great to prevent one from enjoying the movie.

It's nominated for best foreign film and should be. This is an important and wonderful movie. It covers a lot of "territory", perhaps too much. The title tells part of the story, but there's a lot more going on. Plus a sappy love story. This is for serious movie goers. Don't leave early.

Greetings again from the darkness. Lao Tzu wrote, "Being loved deeply by someone gives you strength, while loving someone gives you courage." But to what extreme would you go for true love, and how far is too far? Writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania offers an early scene on a commuter train as Sam Ali and Abeer flirt and tease to the point that he publically, and loudly, proclaims his love for her. Unfortunately for him, his outburst occurs in Syria, where human rights are always in peril. In fact, this love story is burdened with the weight of human rights, individual choices, and the power of art. Ms. Ben Hania bookends her film with a choreographed art installation coated in a blizzard of white walls and white gloves. It's 2011, when a distant relative in law enforcement assists Sam Ali (Yahya Mahayni) with his (quite creative) escape from Syria to Lebanon - after a painful slap of reality accompanies Sam's goodbye to his beloved Abeer (Dea Liane in her first screen credit). As Sam flees for his life, Abeer is pressured by her family into an arranged marriage. We then flash forward one year to find Sam working in a Beirut chicken factory. He scrounges for food at the buffet of local art galleries until one day he is spotted by Soraya (a blond Monica Bellucci), the agent for acclaimed artist Jeffrey Godefroy (Koen De Bouw). When Sam and Godefroy meet, the artist tells him that art is "alive" and, more precisely, "I want your back". A Faustian deal is cut. Godefroy turns Sam Ali into a living piece of art by tattooing his back, and Sam gets the travel visa he desperately needs to reunite with Abeer. With Sam basically a commodity (there are even T-shirts of his back in the gift shop), there are protests to his being exploited - this despite Sam enjoying the nice hotels, room service, and promise of the visa. Of course, as with any commodity, it's only a matter of time before the almighty dollar comes into play, and soon Sam is auctioned off to a collector. Subtle humor has a role throughout much of the film, and Mr. Mahayni is quite believable as a Syrian refugee sacrificing for love. Ms. Ben Hania's film is inspired by "Tim", an original artwork tattoo by Wim Delvoye sold to a collector in 2008. Mr. Delvoye, a controversial Belgian artist, even makes a brief appearance here as an insurance agent. This is a thought-provoking love story, survival tale, and commentary on the bent side of the art world. When is a man truly free? We don't typically think of Tunisia as a hotbed for cinema, but this film deserves attention.

But the skin is as deep as you'll get with these characters (rimshot!). The film is extremely surface level. It has an amazing premise but that's it. The trailer is infinitely more thought provoking because there is only about 2 minutes worth of ideas in this film anyway and at least the trailer raises your heartbeat with a cool song. The film does nothing interesting with the premise other than hit you over the head with the most basic metaphors about human dignity and immigration. The only thing the film felt passionate about was the cuckold love story and even that was intrinsically shallow. As with so many indie films, you can tell it was designed for attracting distributors at film festivals rather than stimulating an audience.

Great visuals, wonderful use of colour, and mesmerising top-of-the-class cinematography A movie with many questions.. Are refugees well treated? Or will they always be "refugees" with a potential terroristic nature? Art.. where are the red lines? When do we stop calling it art? At the lines of human trafficking, prostitution, captivation, or humiliation? War dealers.. are they the sole winners?

The movie represents discrimination in this world. The film's story is beautiful and sad at the same time, it represents the suffering of refugees and Syrians in particular. I loved the main actor who master the role, as delivered the message that man can overcome the difficulties of life and ridicule them too.

Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the last Academy Awards, The Man Who Sold His Skin features an interesting premise concerning a Syrian refugee exploited in the name of art and could've made for a sharp, scathing satire on the whole thing. But it is so preoccupied with its love story that all the themes the film touches upon and the places it could've gone to remain unexplored. Written & directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the film starts on a promising note and the early setups even hint at something audacious in the making. However, instead of digging into its unfolding set of events, Hania just skims through it and settles for a simplified outcome that avoids any risks. Anyone looking for a movie to explore the political implications of turning a human into a commodity is going to be disappointed here. Maybe Hania never intended to say something profound with her story and it's probably why that ending is still part of the final product, despite it betraying a lot of what happens before. The framing, composition & lighting on display is impressive throughout but what stands out best is Yahya Mahayni's potent showcase as the titular artwork. Dea Liane is just as good in her role as his lover while Monica Bellucci feels like a miscast in this. Overall, The Man Who Sold His Skin brushes on themes of refugee crisis, exploitation, elitism, objectification & dehumanisation but is more concerned with its glossy romance subplot than the heavier elements present in the picture. The lovesick protagonist's inability to get over his break-up does more harm than good to our investment in him. Also, the romance itself is cold & lacking in warmth, which in turn makes the ending all the more underwhelming.