The Reflecting Skin (1990)

Director:

Philip Ridley

Writer:

Philip Ridley (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 1990 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Sometimes terrible things happen quite naturally

Plot:

A young boy tries to cope with rural life circa 1950s and his fantasies become a way to interpret events...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Young Boy | Rural Setting | Child Abuse | Nuclear Weapons

Awards:

6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Viggo Mortensen	...	Cameron Dove
Lindsay Duncan	...	Dolphin Blue
Jeremy Cooper	...	Seth Dove
Sheila Moore	...	Ruth Dove
Duncan Fraser	...	Luke Dove
David Longworth	...	Joshua, Eben's Father
Robert Koons	...	Sheriff Ticker
David Bloom	...	Deputy
Evan Hall	...	Kim
Codie Lucas Wilbee	...	Eben
Sherry Bie	...	Cassie
Jason Wolff	...	Cadillac Driver
Dean Hass	...	Cadillac Passenger
Guy Buller	...	Cadillac Passenger
Jason Brownlow	...	Cadillac Passenger
Jeff Walker	...	Adam Blue
Joyce Robbins	...	Twin
Jacqueline Robbins	...	Twin
Debi Greenawdt	...	First Woman
Sandra Redmond	...	Second Woman
Walt Healy	...	Old Man

Directed by
Philip Ridley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Philip Ridley		writer

Produced by
Dominic Anciano	....	producer
Jim Beach	....	executive producer
Ray Burdis	....	producer
Diane Roberts	....	co-producer (as Di Roberts)

Original Music by
Nick Bicât

Cinematography by
Dick Pope

Film Editing by
Scott Thomas

Set Decoration by
Andrea French

Costume Design by
Joanne Hansen		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Iloe Flewelling	....	hair stylist
Al Magallon	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Les Kimber	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Berquist	....	second assistant director
Don French	....	first assistant director
Andrew Price	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Alfred A. Arndt	....	construction foreman (as Alf Arndt)
Robert Barry	....	carpenter
Janice Blackie-Goodine	....	assistant set decorator (as Janice Blackie)
Calvin Boze	....	assistant art director
Robert Everett	....	carpenter
George Griffiths	....	painter
Bruce Hosick	....	property master
J.A. Johnson	....	painter
Ken Merrelle	....	props
Ken Wills	....	swing
David Trainor	....	prop builder (uncredited)

Sound Department
Alan Knight	....	sound editor
Aad Wirtz	....	sound mixer
Kelly Zombor	....	boom operator
Garry Fiferman	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)
George Tarrant	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lee Routly	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Gary Buffie	....	electrician
Theo Eglseder	....	first assistant camera
Jim Gregor	....	gaffer
Chris Hassen	....	second assistant camera
Wayne MacConnell	....	camera operator
Chris Merrells	....	grip
Frank Merrells	....	key grip
T. Dean Merrells	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Dick Pope	....	camera operator
Carey Toner	....	dolly grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
B.J. Elliott	....	costumer
Joanne Hansen	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Larry Becker	....	second assistant editor
Richard Benwick	....	assistant editor (as Rick Benwick)
Patrick O'Neill	....	assistant editor (as Pat O'Neill)

Music Department
Christopher Warren-Green	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Cy Barry	....	transportation coordinator
Diana Brockhurst	....	driver
Jack Cundy	....	driver
Blake Patterson	....	driver

Other crew
Karen Bédard	....	script supervisor
Nancy Gullett	....	production coordinator
Laurie Hawes	....	production accountant
Kim Kennedy	....	assistant to producer
Michael Larking	....	production accountant
Brenda Terning	....	assistant to producer
Joe Thornton	....	location manager
Abel Urbina	....	assistant to producer
Richard Morrison	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Bialystock & Bloom Limited
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• British Screen Productions
• Fugitive Features
• National Film Trustees
• Ontario Film Development Corporation
• Téléfilm Canada
• Zenith Entertainment

Distributors

• Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm (1991) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Kulturföreningen Kedjan (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Virgin Vision (1990) (UK) (theatrical)
• atlas Film (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Alliance Atlantis Video (1992) (Canada) (video)
• Live Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Triangelfilm (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Virgin Vision (1992) (UK) (VHS)
• Vídeo Arte (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• atlas Film (1991) (Germany) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Prominent Studios  negative cutting
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

L'enfant miroir (Canada: French title) (TV title)

Runtime:

96 min | Canada:115 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (f) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Bialystock & Bloom Limited

Quotes:

Sheriff Ticker: Did your father ever touch you anywhere?
Seth Dove: Yeah.
Sheriff Ticker: Where?
Seth Dove: In the kitchen.
Sheriff Ticker: Anywhere else?
Seth Dove: Anyplace outside the kitchen?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ancient Evil 2: Guardian of the Underworld (2005) (V)

Another tack on a fascinating flick

I only read the most recent 12 reviews, but it seems you either really appreciate this film or you think it sucks. Apparently, some folks see art in the tragic and angst-ridden characters, and others are disgusted by their actions and the depressing imagery. Personally, my motives were not too sophisticated: I found it in the "horror" section at the video store and it looked pretty stylish and of course, Aragorn was in it, so I said what the heck. I thought the film, though disturbing, was indeed a fascinating and thought-provoking piece of cinematic art.

Anyway, I'm wondering if Philip Ridley was commenting on the narcissism, arrogance, violence, and corruption of U.S. culture. Not that others couldn't be accused of similar vices, but... I think the boy Seth and the other lead characters symbolize our national conscience. We run around blowing up frogs and tearing up peoples' property with no remorse, then create our own moral/spiritual sources to console us out of empty, dead things (like a stillborn child). We wallow in our domestic dysfunctions, while excelling at denial about them (like the nutty mother). We like a good witch hunt, accusing the depressed widow or the agonized former pedophile, while ignoring the obvious handsome suspects in the nice Caddy. We flit around wrapped in our flag thinking we're innocent, all the while nuking children in war only to focus on how their radiated skin looks like a mirror in which we can see our lovely reflections. But someone else gets the last laugh, since we're all self-destructing as a result of it all, and while at first Seth's screaming frenzy as the finale confused me, I realize now it's a fitting end to that interpretation.

Or something like that. It might just be about a bored rural kid with no conscience and a wild imagination whose failure to tell the truth ends up hurting everyone around him. Or about the price of tea in China. It's worth the view, though, if you like Gothic thrillers.