Skinamarink is a 2022 Canadian horror film, directed by Kyle Edward Ball and the cast includes Lucas Paul, Dali Rose, Ross Paul and Jaime Hill.
It was the year 1995, and in a home lived two young siblings named Kevin (Lucas Paul) and Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault).
One evening, they noticed that a door had vanished from the house, and before long, a window followed suit, and then, their parents disappeared without a trace.
As more and more items began to disappear or appear in unexpected places, the children found themselves transfixed by the flickering images of cartoons on the television, completely unaware of the sinister presence lurking within their home.
I am struggling to find what to write about this movie, so will keep it short, but it's fair to say I did not like it at all though and did not connect with it.
Clocking in at 100 minutes, Skinamarink felt like a total chore to finish, but I made it through to the end somehow, and while it’s clear that the film attempts to evoke a deep sense of unease, it does so in such a detached and cryptic way that it becomes frustrating rather than compelling.
I understand the intent to immerse viewers into a childlike fear of the unknown, but it became increasingly hard to connect with in the style that was attempted, with the film’s vague and abstract nature meaning to immerse you into it all, but it just did not work for me, and while Skinamarink is experimental in nature, it just doesn't find a balance between its artistic approach and being engaging
It's more of an experience than a story I suppose, and it asks the viewer for a lot of interpretation, which is difficult when not much is happening, and the childlike horrors of being alone and the feeling of being scared in the darkness in that situation could have been done in so many different and better ways,
I wish I could have vibed with this one, but I got nothing, but if you did get something out of this movie, I am jealous, as not many films I watch and then completely regret after, but Skinamarink is one of them, and it is a film that tries just a bit too hard to be different, and while I understand what it was trying to do, it wasn't one I could connect with.
The premise was interesting, the execution most certainly was not, but it really is a film that needs to resonate and connect with you, and if it does, you might get something out of it, the if it does being the key point.