Movie Night: Second Skin

Filed Under Anime and Fandom, Documentary and Film 

Another week, another documentary, and I am happy to say that this week’s pick was considerably better. This time I watched Second Skin (2008), directed by Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza. You can watch this film on Netflix Instant Queue.

I was immediately impressed with the cinematography of this film, but truth be told, anything would look good after last week’s doc. After a while of watching the same sort of quality shots (both interview and B-roll) that I learned to aspire to in my introduction to filmmaking class, I realized that while they were expertly maneuvered, they were really just average. An example of what I’m talking about: an interview with a video game addiction rehabilitator that positions her head between icons of Jesus and Mary, B roll of the shopping cart wheels while some gamers buy soda and snacks.

What really puts the visuals of the film above and beyond is the use of handy and gorgeously done infographics that explain to the viewer- in a crisp and straight-to-the-point style- the facts and figures of the film. Instead of trying to tell viewers how many WoW gamers consider themselves addicted, we are shown a jarring visual instead.

The story is powerful, but- as several reviewers put it- incredibly bleak. Let’s face it- Second Skin is downright depressing. As we watch the gamers World of Warcraft away their lives, we cringe for them. “Go outside!” we want to tell them. This film focuses entirely on gamers stuck more in their virtual worlds than the real one. Some have a legitimate reason; the depiction of severely handicapped people who find new purpose in life through their avatars was especially touching. But my complaint remains: there are no portrayals of people who identify themselves as “moderate” gamers.

While it’s not bad to make a depressing film, I think that the misery here is unnecessarily harped upon. Sure, video game addiction is a serious illness, and some people need to get help. But not all people who play video and computer games spend a whopping 8 hours a day in front of their console, like the people shown in this film. While I understand this isn’t as interesting a subject for a movie, the director needs to represent more types of gamers.

Lauren’s Rating (out of five stars)

Cinematography: ★★★1/2

Content: ★★★

Comments

One Response to “Movie Night: Second Skin”

  1. John B. on February 1st, 2010 7:09 pm

    I didn’t even notice, but your right they didn’t interview or mention a single person who gamed in moderation. It would have been nice if they didn’t portray all gamers as addicted, however I did notice that they talk about gamers as a collective and do not separate these people into a subset.

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