Ana Cristina Barragán crafts an achingly tender drama about three teenage siblings living with an emotionally stunted mother on a remote island off the coast of Ecuador. Attuned to the rhythms and creatures of the sea, they live by their own rules and conventions, cocooned and deeply mistrustful of the world outside their bubble. But dark secrets loom over the fragile clan and the pull of city life soon becomes impossible to ignore for the eldest, Iris, threatening the particularly close bond with her twin brother Ariel. Octopus Skin unfolds like an ode to a forgotten way of life, luring one into its ethereal depths like a siren. The follow-up to Alba, Ana Cristina’s feature debut and Ecuador’s 2016 Oscar submission, stuns with its soft, lyrical touch and distinct sense of visual texture. However, cushioned in its impeccable mise-en-scène is an emotionally raw and piercing meditation on life on the margins of society, with an especially nuanced take on familial codependency and forms of intimacy.
Presented by
Isadora Chávez, Juan Francisco Vinueza, Hazel Powell, Cristina Marchán, Paulet Arévalo
Ecuador
2022
In Spanish with English subtitles
Self Harm
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Executive Producer
Oderay Game
Producer
Isabella Parra
Screenwriter
Ana Cristina Barragán
Cinematography
Simón Brauer, Tomás Astudillo
Editor
Mayra Morán, Myrto Karra, Ana Cristina Barragán
Original Music
Pablo Mondragón
Art Director
Alisarine Ducolomb
Director
Ana Cristina Barragán
Ana Cristina Barragan is a screenwriter and director. Alba, her first film, premiered at IFF Rotterdam, won 35 international awards in over 100 festivals. Alba was Ecuador’s representative for the Oscars and Goya and screened at the Moma in NY. Ana directed several short films, including Domingo Violeta, released in Locarno IFF 2010. She is currently in post production on a new feature, Sopor and Bird (2023) part of Locarno´s Open Doors 2022.
Filmography: Alba (2016); Octopus Skin (2022); Sopor and Bird (2023)
Vanguard
See more films in this series:
Bitten
Françoise wakes up from an ominous dream that seems to foreshadow her imminent death. Not wanting to waste a minute of her remaining time, she consults her crystal pendulum and convinces her best friend Delphine to attend a mysterious costume party.
On the Go
Questioning her desire to have a child, a mid-thirties woman embarks on a road trip with her best friend, who is working through his own commitment issues. Their journey turns into a whirlwind of roadside drama and unexpected self-discoveries.
Animal
Residents of a Greek island prepare for fellow European tourists seeking the best summer experience their modest earnings can buy, the "animatuers" at the local hotel resort dust off their shiny costumes and dance to keep the masses entertained.
Octopus Skin
Three siblings live with an emotionally stunted mother on a remote island off the coast of Ecuador, cocooned and deeply mistrustful of the world outside their bubble. But dark secrets loom, pulling the eldest daughter toward city life.
The Sea and Its Waves
Like a film poem, The Sea and Its Waves follows a brother and sister as they pass through an almost deserted Beirut on their way out of the country. Bathed in moonlight and flickering city lights, this is atmospheric, transcendental cinema.
The Face of the Jellyfish
Thirty-something Marina wakes up to a completely new face. Cutting herself off from friends and colleagues, she pours through family archives to make sense of the surreal development. With no practical solution in sight, a world of possibility opens up.
