Cold Skin (2017)
Director: Xavier Gens
Writer: Jesús Olmo, Eron Sheean
Starring: Ray Stevenson, David Oakes, Aura Garrido
"We are never very far from those we hate. For this very reason, we shall never be truly close to those we love..."
The haunting opening words to the film and the tagline.
A film with a difference or just another novel on which it was adapted from based on the familiar theme of surviving in a desolate, bleak landscape. A meagre existence. Seen as "Friend (David Oakes) approaches the island, set for abandonment in many ways. You have to wonder why? Why leave civilization to ponder this fate, remaining a prisoner, deserted, alone in this God forsaken place? Nature unknown and not just the habitat, but nature as in nature of the island. As the weather observer, replacement, Friend, is running from his own demons, we're not told. Though some would prefer not to know even by film's end, some of us curiously would. Even if it is a case of thinking the reasons for ourselves. It's not a hapless exercise if you like your movies to be thought provoking and sometimes thinking outside the box. Why come here leaving humanity behind. Humanity ironic in and of itself as the events are set against the backdrop of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife in 1914 and the end of the Great War. Mass destruction of human life and way of life.
In some ways this was a reflection of those events, perhaps of what was to come. Staving off the enemy, fighting the unknown in many ways and the loss of life. The futility of war. Finding the lighthouse keeper, Gruner (Ron Stevenson) and his shocking state of existence, with the former weather observer reportedly 'missing,' having died. No one bothered to check. Seems this old man, Gruner is weathered, world weary and prefers to be in his own 'skin', wearing nothing at all in the beginning. Though modesty was far from his worries.
Friend unpacking his books, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dante's Inferno, which ironically became an inferno of his own in reality.
Friend settles down to his work and things are fine, until one night he is attacked by strange creatures in his shack. Creatures that are unseen at first, so it's a little premature to call them that since he doesn't know what he's dealing with. Again the irony shown in not accepting the captain's gun, as he leaves him on the island; thinking he will be fine and weapons being unnecessary. Of course this is turned on its head. Hiding out isn't an option. There appears to be refuge from the attacking hoards. Even setting up a fire barrier backfires (no pun) as his shack burns. Then the rains came and there is some salvage to be had, you'd think in that the flames will be snuffed out. Yet Still Gruner refuses to let him in. Until Friend follows him with rifle in hand and holds it upon the creature: a female that Gruner has taken as his slave, in more ways than one. Finally the ice breaks, tentatively and Friend is allowed into Gruner's realm: his lighthouse.
Friend marks the days, months on the wall and even this is futile. An entire year is so far away and each night Gruner fights the masses, more as a way of being and remaining master of his island as he calls it. He reels Friend into the war, his fight he wages every night with the creatures and it's almost as if he was the instigator in all this. Not liking anything different to himself. Not attempting to understand or see their raison d'etre. Forcing Friend to fight and leaving him on the lighthouse balcony to do so on his own all night. A bloody initiation into what wasn't his doom, or of his own making. The creatures being akin to "toads/frogs."
Friend reluctant at first, showing his cowardice in some respects. In another sense his inaction could be seen as the voice of reason. Why should he have to fight these toads, they appear to be attempting to survive, just as the humans are. Yet he must to 'enjoy' the safety of the lighthouse. In some respects he too becomes Gruner's slave. To the violence, to his fetching and carrying.
Gruner uses the toad for his own ends, slave, sex slave, pleasures of the flesh. Beating her, ordering her around. Submission his survival factor and instilling fear. Friend naming her Aneris (Aura Garrido).
Earlier on, Friend reading about Darwin getting it "wrong" in the previous weather observer's log. Depicting the toads eating the dinosaurs. Indeed there being the remains of a dinosaur outside. Gruner and Friend come to terms with needing each other to survive and Friend finds a rowboat which Gruner knew about. After he constructs a makeshift boat, Aneris leads him to it. Thus showing how far the two have become in their tentative relationship. Indicative of Friend's softening towards her and her humility. She is more than a mere creature.
When Gruner finds Friend getting closer to his toad, he even agrees to take Friend out in the diving suit and let him get the dynamite. Even leaving him to die underwater as he sits by and does nothing to bring him back to the surface. Devoid of human compassion, if he had any to begin with. Which is apparent since we see Gruner was apparently the man in the photo with the woman in the wedding photo. With the words "love, love, love" written on the back. Love being fleeting.
Finally everything is forgotten, Friend's reason for being here, his work. No work is done except to survive. As each night the hoards are fought off until the dynamite does it's deed. Aneris has a son: Gruner's: a human/toad hybrid and Friend realizes they want a truce, yet Gruner doesn't. He wants her back, she's defiant. "No one leaves Gruner" he echoes and then shoots the boy toad dead with a flare. Extinguishing new life and new hope. Thus the struggle continues. Only this time he leaves Friend with his unrelenting legacy; of taking his place. Until he too becomes a mirror image of Gruner and finally his replacement arrives. Aneris swims free, defiant. As we leave Friend standing looking out at the boats. His salvation, from one hell to return to another. A World War: the end of humanity as he knew it. But worse still. he left one mysterious past behind and yet found the very thing on the island that he was escaping from.
The novel reflects humanity, in many ways; the ending of the First World War and how all things became about survival. Not just survival of the fittest as far as nature goes and understanding that which is different and alien to us. But survival of a way of life. The struggle to exist; co-exist. As well as a more more modern and political subtext. A depiction of how we as humans, perceive our boundaries - psychological and how our imaginations interpret Cold Skin is eye-opening, terrifying and yet also heart wrenching.
Whilst watching I did have pangs of deja vu and perhaps I shouldn't, as this was a novel by Catalan Albert Sánchez Piño but I thought back to Armistice (2013). The short with Joseph Morgan and Matt Ryan. How as soldiers, they fought to remain alive. Fighting an unknown foe, not knowing why they fight, but that they must. Even with Edward Stirling counting down the days with his marks on the wall of the house too. The unrelenting battle to stay alive. A war not of their making. Just as this wasn't Friend's fight but he became a part of it as soon as he stepped onto that island. When there is no point in making sense of the madness. With Edward's narration of the mundane events inside the house. Echoed in similar vein by Friend with his own narration of poetry and learned works. Counting down the days to a full calendar year.
Also how I said in Armistice how I thought the soldiers became the "undead" the very enemy they were fighting.
Yet one question was why Friend chose to rub the markings fro the wall. Did he give up believing a year would even come for him, that he would still be around. or was it that each night was a repeat of that before and there was no need to mark this mundane life now.
With Friend at the beginning mentioning how the captain who brought him here spoke to him "with the kindness of an executioner." How right he would turn out to be. Since his fate became fight or be killed. What was the point of it anyway. Clearly the toads didn't want to be killed. Yet there was no way to communicate until that massive show of strength with the dynamite strike and loss.
David gave a stunning performance in this sci-fi film, as always. He brought out the high hopes of an innocent when he gets to the island. Expecting a year of solitude to carry out his work. Yet finding that turned on its head, being drawn into a conflict by Gruner. Akin to Ferdinand being assassinated by 'disgruntled' rebels not realizing the human onslaught on an unforeseen scale their actions would bring. Gruner being akin to the single handed assassin here. Once he started, there was no going back. But for a brief instance there was, before he killed the infant creature. Ray Stevenson as Gruner portrayed the insanity of his actions in a maddening and believable way. There is no life without love, no hope without love and no humanity without love...
Works alluded to include: When I Have Fear John Keats
Requiem: Robert Louis Stevenson. Could see his influences here with the lighthouse, as a lighthouse is where Stevenson named his home after, Skerryvore, after the tallest lighthouse built by his uncle, Alan, in Scotland. Also some connotations of Treasure Island seeping in. With several allusions to Stevenson's life, including his journey to the Samoan Islands, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand.
Requiem being quoted by Gruner: "
"Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will..."
I actually like films/books, anything that mentions poetry, other plays, books, etc, as this adds more to a story, more depth of character and emotions and expressing far more than something newly written on a page in terms of breaking down concepts which may be difficult to fathom or understand straightaway.
"We are never very far from those we hate. For this very reason, we shall never be truly close to those we love." Are words from the novel, resonating in the very truth of human existence. How love/hate are such closely resembling emotions.
Friend is his name (no irony there?) The creatures known as "toads." Or rather "frogs." Aquatic dwelling and a little grey alien in appearance. Guessing it was just me then who took the war angle, impending war angle here. Critics have argued over the repetitive nature of the scenes, there was nothing that could be done about that as it does set up the monotony and repetition in a deserted island. There won't be much 'fun' going on. Yet there are dalliances into character development, with two opposites, there's only so much that can involve this continuing animosity from abating. friend tries to understand Aneris. Gruner uses and abuses.
Aneris is intelligent in her own right, but she chooses to return to Gruner even after her abuse. Why? Friend reaches out to her eventually realizing who and what she really is. Aneris too is in a struggle for survival of her own...or was it just simpler for her to be 'kept' and fed instead of fending for herself.
David in Q&A at BIFFF (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival) 13 April 2018 said how one man was to play Nietzsche and one played Rousseau in their roles of Gruner and Friend respectively.
Plus when he was approached for the role, he got paid more after "playing hard to get".
Xavier saying he liked David's "sweet sensitivity" when he met him and he was "handsome." That's true when you meet him for the first time: David is incredibly generous and gracious towards his fans and funny too! I mean he was right off the bat joking about my pic of him I drew as Ernest! Yeah David you could've done much better than me!!
As for frog creatures or créatures de grenouille: "Very little dialogue, defies logic you have to get drawn into one two or three of their characters and want to find their journey..."
That's how I felt you have to give the film a go and get into it without giving up at the first hurdle cos the action pretty much starts the first night he's on the island.
Said David, "it is rare, it is not normal, it is very rare that a film like this ever gets made."
"It took on characteristics of characters they were playing. It was intense filming for 9 weeks and the exhaustion on mine and Ray's face is somewhat real...the cottage and lighthouse filmed in Madrid. And they spent 5 weeks filming in Lanzarote.
David commented on friend and his "running away from the bad side of humanity. He can't escape it no matter how far away he runs. If he was there as a weather observer the allegorical aspects wouldn't have the same effects..."
"The novel looks at the sexual politics of the divide and the differences between that. Gruner and Friend both as men are destructive, but he was more cyclical in nature of the human destruction basis of the tagline in the book."
And how the novel and the film are "beautiful counterpieces" to each other. As "there's a lot of the novel in the script, and we ripped the book apart" for filming. I haven't read the novel yet and will get round to doing so. better to watch the film first, for me at least to see how they broached it and the ending.
(My silly pun: Darwin was wrong, it's not survival of the fittest but survival of the wittiest!)
David wanted to reference Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) as he loves that film. And they wanted to echo those. Xavier gens said that was his only influence. the Jules Verne films. Missed out on filming in actual water but just walked on dust. As they did in Pirates of the Caribbean. Also referencing HP Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth.
David: "I love taking projects that are out of the ordinary." He accepted another book project adaptation where he will be undergoing another massive challenge of filming in four different dialects. (Mostly Eastern European.) Which is the wonderful thing about taking on films not routine or dumbed-down for today's audiences. In my opinion, we all need challenges and to enjoy mystery and work out underlying themes and meanings for ourselves in different genres. Instead of them always having to be action or prone to violence orientated!
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