Filipino Fae Body Horror In My Mother’s Skin (FANTASTIC) Eats Away at Crumbling Family Unit
Title: In My Mother’s Skin
First Non-Festival Release: October 12, 2023 (Digital/Streaming Platforms)
Director: Kenneth Dagatan
Writer: Kenneth Dagatan
Runtime: 97 Minutes
Starring: Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Felicity Kyle Napuli, Beauty Gonzalez
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
Be careful what you wish for. It’s a common trope within horror, and other cautionary tales, that encourages people, particularly youth, to understand the dangers of wanting without consideration of the consequences.
This is painfully true for Tala (Felicity Kyle Napuli). When her father, Aldo (Arnold Reyes), leaves home to seek help from Americans to protect his family from Japanese soldiers badgering him about the whereabouts of stolen gold, Tala is left to stay in their sprawling mansion along with her mother, Ligaya (Beauty Gonzalez), and brother, Bayani (James Mavie Estrella). Not long after, her mother falls ill forcing Tala to seek help from a beguiling fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith) to save her from the mysterious illness. Tala soon learns that all wishes come with a price.
Part gut-wrenching fairy tale, part period piece depicting the realities of war, In My Mother’s Skin is a creeping Filipino body horror.
Young Tala only wants the best for her mother, which puts her normally skeptical nature to the test when she is approached by the Fairy. Her apprehension dissipates as her mother’s condition worsens, and she puts trust into someone she believes might be able to help. Her wish is then twisted in the worst way possible to extract as much pain and fear from her and her family. Even worse, this leaves Ligaya in an arguably worse position than when Tala sought out help.
Much like a powder keg, all threads splaying from In My Mother’s Skin spark together in the final act with incredible force. Writer-director Kenneth Dagatan ensures that every problem this young family encounters bubbles up to the surface and blows up in their faces. From double-crossing employees to tyrannical soldiers, every character is given time to shine and actively push the plot towards its diabolical end. In My Mother’s Skin strives for completion and ensures that its overall commentary on war’s effect on society at home hits hard.
The decision to set In My Mother’s Skin during World War II allows director Kenneth Dagatan to force its young protagonist to make dire choices. The stakes are already high enough with a looming war and power-hungry men looming over the family’s head, but adding a supernatural element adds to the desperation of this family. With the patriarch gone, the rest of the family relies on each other to bridge the gap in the roles he plays in the house. Like many fairy tales, losing one’s parents is a catalyst for a child’s chance to enter a world much different from their own. In the case of In My Mother’s Skin, it’s clear that Tala would rather have a present father and healthy mother rather than adventure.
Beautifully filmed, In My Mother’s Skin deserves all its flowers for creating its wicked fairytale world. The lush Filipino forest brings life and color to the dark reality of the family’s life. Beauty and horror melt together in twisted ways showing how few true sources of good exist when humans place focus on the wicked and ugly things in life. Nothing proves this more than the Fairy’s stunningly ornate gown that paints the façade she is a kind and matronly angel sent to help those in need. The luxurious and remote manor house serves as an excellent setting for the film. Highlighting the isolation of the family while emphasizing their wealth, its slow deterioration and accumulation of bodily fluids paint the fairy tale in an even grimmer light. Inevitably, the family’s status cannot save them from the horrors of war, the ugliness of man, and the trickery of the fae.
Awash in demented body horror and gore, In My Mother’s Skin isn’t afraid to get gross with its flesh eating fae. Drippy, gooey, and impressively creepy, the supernatural terror of the Filipino folk horror attacks the audience with plenty of variation. Obviously, the curse elements spawning from the Fairy provide for some spine-tingling scares and impressive body horror. Nature creeps into the family’s life in strange and horrific ways including an exceptionally skin-crawling jaunt with a locust. This doesn’t even fully cover the myriad of ways other humans play in the role of potentiating the family’s misery.
Deliberately paced and deliciously gory, this dark Filipino fairy tale is a solid addition to the genre while proving that the Philippines has plenty of potential in terms of horror. It doesn’t quite hit the mark through its budgetary constraints, but that doesn’t stop Dagatan and company from creating a seriously fun and impressive film. It’s always good to be careful what you wish for, but I promise you won’t have to wish for much to enjoy this sick little flick.
Overall Score? 7/10
