You are here:

The Next Skin

Name: The Next Skin
Director: Isaki Lacuesta, Isa Campo
Released: 2016
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

7.7/10

Good

2016

TV-MA

Director

Isaki Lacuesta, Isa Campo

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Next Skin is a psychological study that challenges the 'prodigal son' story. Instead of a simple reunion, it uses uncertainty to question memory and the safety of home. The film's strength lies in its nuanced look at identity as a shifting and sometimes misleading concept. It avoids common commercial stories and focuses on a character-driven exploration of perception. While the film offers deep psychological insights, it does not explicitly represent diverse racial backgrounds or specific LGBTQ+ identities, relying instead on metaphor and thematic subversion.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Next Skin have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film examines the idea that identity can shift and be performed differently. Though it doesn't show specific queer relationships, the story aligns with theories about queer identity.

How does The Next Skin portray gender?

Fair

The story breaks down the traditional family structure by focusing on the home environment. It questions the stability of traditional gender roles through the mystery at its center.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Next Skin?

Fair

Set in a typical European drama setting, the film does not feature actors from various ethnic backgrounds. However, the impostor theme reflects how society views and incorporates outsiders.

How does The Next Skin represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative questions traditional beliefs about truth and institutions. It portrays the family as a place of psychological vulnerability rather than a stable foundation.

Does The Next Skin include disability representation?

Fair

The film does not include characters with visible disabilities or neurological differences. Instead, it focuses on hidden mental health issues and the impact of psychological trauma.

Present on Screen

Nuanced exploration of identity as a fluid and potentially misleading construct.
Challenges conventional narratives to offer a complex psychological study.
Uses the impostor theme to comment on societal perceptions of outsiders.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit depiction of actors from various ethnic backgrounds.
Does not clearly represent specific LGBTQ+ identities or relationships.
Provides no direct representation of characters with physical or neurological disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A teenager who went missing and was presumed dead returns home after eight years to find a family deeply affected by his disappearance. Gradually, doubts arise about whether he really is the missing boy or an impostor.

How are these scores produced? →