Skin (2018)

Skin: Directed by Guy Nattiv. With Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Daniel Henshall, Bill Camp. A destitute young man, raised by racist skinheads and notorious among white supremacists, turns his back on hatred and violence to transform his life, with the help of a black activist and the woman he loves.

“When Bryon falls for mother of-three Julie (Patti Cake$ star Danielle Macdonald), however, he find the impetus for change, especially when she has no wish for her kids to be around the hatred spewed out by his socalled u0026#39;brothersu0026#39;. While he has encouragement from an activist (Mike Colter) who looks to help him reform, Bryonu0026#39;s efforts inevitably cause tensions with Fred, Shareen and the others. Writer-director Guy Nattiv weaves in several sequences in which Bryon endures the agonising removal of his tattoos, symbolically shedding his former persona. Itu0026#39;s hardly a spoiler to reveal that he does turn his back on his right-wing roots, but Skin is more about the painful journey he undertakes to get there. Bell and Macdonald make for an authentic grass-roots couple, although Nattiv never quite convinces us that their love is enough to motivate the change in Bryon. As a result, the script loses some momentum in the final third. But in the wake of Charlottesville, Skin is still a timely, provocative piece, flush with hope.”