When I first started hearing about Skinamarink the memory of the song of the same name came dislodged from my brain and started being stuck in my head intermittently. I had hoped that watching the movie would help solve that problem, and I’m almost certain that won’t be the case. If I’m being honest the movie did absolutely nothing for me. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it.
The fact that this was written and directed by one person is pretty impressive. Kyle Edward Ball was able to make a movie for fifteen thousand dollars that has made an impact at the beginning of the year. It technically premiered in July of last year but that was at Fantasia Film Festival, but it started making majors waves more recently. It was based on one of Ball’s short films called Heck.
Here’s where I will have a problem talking about Skinamarink because the story is loose. It takes place in 1995 and is focused on a four-year-old boy named Kevin and a six-year-old girl named Kaylee, a brother and sister pair. I don’t feel like there’s much I can say about the story for sure. Anything else I’m not entirely sure about how it happens.
The cinematography is the biggest thing I’ve heard people having an issue with. I get it because we don’t see any of the characters and I find it hard to care about people that I can’t see. It does add to the way the story is told and the flair of the movie. The fact that there’s no music except for what comes from the cartoons the kids watch makes it even creepier. That on top of the sound design that does a great job of setting up the atmosphere this is an unnerving movie.
Skinamarink is an experience. That’s the best way for me to put it because it is such an experimental movie. It’s a well made movie but it isn’t for me, no matter how much I would like for it to be. I might have a different opinion about it after multiple watches but my initial reaction is mostly positive but personally underwhelmed. If you have Shudder, you can watch the movie yourself and make your own opinions. I give Skinamarink 6.5 toy telephones out of 10.