Knives and Skin
IFC Midnight | Release Date: December 6, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
2
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The PlaylistLena WilsonDec 6, 2019
Knives and Skin presents an unsettling mix of girlishness, macabre, sweetness, and despondency best encapsulated in a nail polish color sported by one of the characters: Rotting Corpse. Its humans are alien, its script is bizarre, its visuals are gauche. But this so-wrong-it’s-right feminine dirge puts the “fun” in “funereal.” Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 5, 2019
This movie rocks. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeJan 3, 2020
Puts a forward-thinking feminist bent on the Riverdale school of neon Twin Peaks fetishism Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesJen YamatoDec 5, 2019
Awash in Christopher Rejano’s neon-hued cinematography and punctuated by Nick Zinner’s eerie synth soundscapes, Reeder’s meandering tale is a fever dream of ideas. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDec 12, 2019
A different editing rhythm (and a less narcotic musical score) would substantially change the personality of this movie, for better or worse. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 27, 2019
It’s entirely too scattered, sacrificing coherence, loaded down with characters who are more clutter than carriers of plot and substance. Read full review
40
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergDec 5, 2019
It is manifestly unfair to compare the work of a near-universally admired auteur to an odd, ambitious independent film, but Knives and Skin owes so much to David Lynch, particularly “Twin Peaks,” that it feels wrong to pretend it exists in a vacuum. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoDec 6, 2019
Like the songs sung by its young cast, Knives and Skin feels like cinematic karaoke, lacking in authorship or deeper meaning. The cast, two actresses in particular, give it their all, but it is an aggressively hollow experience. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeDec 2, 2019
The film gets so lost in its affected idiosyncrasies that it stops probing any discernible human feelings. Read full review
30
VarietyValerie ComplexDec 7, 2019
The positive qualities lie in the surrealistic film’s bold cinematography, distinctive use of music, and diversity of cast, though that’s not enough to redeem this tedious viewing experience. Read full review
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