By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ester Rots
Starring: Chris Borowski | Rifka Lodeizen | Wim Opbrouck
Original language title: Kan door huid heen
Country: netherlands
Year: 2009
Running time: 94
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132593/
Bruce says: “Ester Rots has accomplished the rarity of making a film that is not altogether likable but strangely satisfying. The conflict lies with her protagonist. Marieke (Rifka Lodeizen) is a woman in crisis. Her long term relationship (whether lover, husband, or live-in boyfriend we are never sure) has abruptly ended and she is caught off-guard. Rather than getting on with things in a more direct manner Marieke has succumbed to alcohol and insomnia. She is a true victim. She calls many men from her past to go for a drink. Judging from the cool-to-icy receptions, Marieke has either burned many bridges or was never much of a player in the first place. Again, we never know the facts.
“A friend brings her groceries but Marieke turns her away when she offers to stay for a while. A pizza is delivered. What a big mistake. Hours later when Marieke is in her bath she is brutally raped by the pizza delivery man. Once again it is never clear whether the rape is an actual event or a disturbing fantasy that Marieke has created to retreat more deeply into her feelings of abandonment. Online Marieke sees a real estate ad for an abandoned farmhouse in deplorable condition. Next thing she is ensconced in the crumbling ruin, an unmistakable metaphor for her own fragility; bit by bit she begins to put the house back together.
“Initially, online chats are the only contact Marieke has with the outside world. Most of her digital chat involves interaction with others who have been sexually abused. Marieke is tightly wound. When John (Wim Opbrouck) stops by for a neighborly visit, Marieke is rude one day then seeks him out shortly thereafter to borrow his goats to mow her lawn. Soon she has invited John into her bed. She fantasizes about the trial of her rapist, ‘one year for him, a lifetime for me.’ We see her rapist chained to a post in her attic. Marieke’s vacillations are painful to watch in spite of the fact that the viewer knows all along that the film is focused on the post-traumatic healing process. Throughout the film Marieke maintains an unsympathetic presence, amplified by her poor judgment.
“The use of music and sound is particularly effective throughout the film, from the ambient noises that accompany Marieke’s menacing nightmares to the music of Dan Geesin that compliments the story. The fabulous house is perfect for the story and Ester Rots credits the location scout for finding the location. Rots, who works with a crew of just five people, confesses that her filmmaking is one hundred percent intuitive. She only begins analyzing her film after the editing is completed. She’ll have a lot of company for anyone who sees this film will find an abundance of material to analyze. 4 cats
“(CAN GO THROUGH SKIN was screened as part of the New Directors/New Films festival sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA.)“