#dea liane

[gregor-samsung]

الرجل الذي باع ظهره [The Man Who Sold His Skin] (Kaouther Ben Hania, 2020)

[la-joie-apres-la-peine]

Je sais qu'elle était pour moi. Je ne sais rien d'elle.

Georgette, Dea Liane

[moviemosaics]

The Man Who Sold His Skin

directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, 2020

[randomrichards]

THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN

[venusinorbit]

An Immigrant Becomes A Human Canvas In This Sly Film About Art And Freedom

If any story has been inescapable this century, it's surely immigration.

The subject has spawned so many newscasts, books, movies and TV shows that it takes real imagination to find an invigorating angle on such a well-worn and difficult theme.

That's why I was surprised and delighted by The Man Who Sold His Skin, a funny, touching and pointed film that's been nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature. Made by the Tunisian writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania, it weaves together satire and humane political awareness to create an original fable about art, privilege, freedom and identity.

The winning newcomer Yahya Mahayni stars as Sam Ali, a handsome young Syrian madly in love with his girlfriend, Abeer (Dea Liane). But when Sam's thrown into prison by the Assad regime for a trifle, he's forced to escape to Lebanon. He's burning to get to Belgium where Abeer has moved with the Syrian diplomat she's been married off to, but he can't get a visa.

Sam's situation seems hopeless until he sneaks into an opening at a Beirut gallery hoping to sponge free food. Once there, he's caught by a glamorous art-dealer who introduces him to Jeffrey Godefroi, an internationally renowned artist played by Belgian star Koen De Bouw. Jeffrey specializes in glib work that sells for millions and seems to embody Oscar Wilde's definition of a cynic as one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Over drinks, Jeffrey proposes a deal that will let Sam get to Abeer. Using Sam's back as his canvas, Jeffrey creates a large tattoo depicting the Schengen Visa, the document that allows free movement between European countries. In exchange, he gives Sam a cut of the profits and — because Sam is now a pricey work of art — gets him into Belgium. There Sam spends his time being displayed in a museum and looking for Abeer. He finally appears to be free.

[warningsine]

The Man Who Sold His Skin (2021)

His own body turned into a living work of art and promptly exhibited in a museum, Sam, a Syrian refugee, will soon realize to have sold away more than just his skin.

Directed By: Kaouther Ben Hania

[watchingalotofmovies]

The Man Who Sold His Skin

The Man Who Sold His Skin    [trailer]

His own body turned into a living work of art and promptly exhibited in a museum, a Syrian refugee will soon realize to have sold away more than just his skin.

A provocative set-up, but the longer the film went on, the more it felt like it didn't know where to go after the initial idea.

I also caught myself thinking that Sam is a war refugee. An easy mistake to make since the civil war in Syria now goes on for more than a decade. But while his initial escape is caused by oppressive rules, the reason for his journey is a love story.

So the whole satirising of the art world, and the fate of refugees does have its limits here.

[mymoviemania-oscar-2021]

The Man Who Sold His Skin الرجل الذي باع ظهره‎ (2020),   directed by Kaouther Ben Hania;

its plot was inspired by belgian contemporary neo-conceptual artist Wim Delvoye's

Yahya Mahayni as Sam Ali; Dea Liane as Abeer; Koen De Bouw as Jeffrey Godefroi; Monica Bellucci as Soraya Waldy; Wim Delvoye as insurance broker

Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards:

- Best international feature film of the year -

"The Man Who Sold His Skin" Tunisia

Wim Delvoye