Reported by Hannah Weinstein for the Flatiron Hot! News
Last Tuesday night, I attended an advance movie screening and Q & A of the feature film, Skin, at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Theater. Located on 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues the theater is a short, two-block walk from the NYC Seminar and Conference Center, and perfect for an evening activity after a day of meetings.
Skin is based on the true story of a ‘skinhead’ white supremacist gang member, Bryon Widner. Bryon was taken in by the Vinlanders gang when he was fourteen years old. Coming from a broken home and destitute living situation, he found an adoptive family who provided him with food, clothes, and shelter. He riddled his face, body, and hands with tattoos, and was brainwashed with the white supremacy ideology. He was taught to hate others who were not like him and performed horrible hate crimes. In the beginning of the movie, we see Bryon leading violent protests and acts of hate, but everything changes when he meets and falls in love with a single mother and her three young girls. Being a part of this new family pushes him to step up, and he ultimately decides to leave the gang and his “family” to start a new life.
Leaving the Vinlanders was not easy for Bryon, and threatening visits from the gang members put him and his new family at risk of danger and violence. Desperate and in need of a solution, Bryon turned to a black activist, Daryle Jenkins, who offered Bryon and his new family immunity in return for names and information concerning the Vinlanders gang.
A major component of starting a new life was removing the dozens of tattoos on Bryon’s body. Scattered throughout the movie were clips of him in the hospital undergoing treatment. We see the laser surgery up close, we hear the “zaps” of the laser targeting the ink, accompanied by beautiful classical music playing in the background. We see the intense pain Bryon endured, portrayed through his tense body, grinding teeth, and white knuckles from sustaining tight fists. According to the movie, it took him nearly two years of laser surgery to complete the process and to physically transform himself into a new man.
This is a story of identify, family, and love. Bryon grappled with which family he wanted to be a part of, and by extension, his identity. The movie makes you contemplate how someone like Bryon could have a change of character and leave behind a life of hate and violence. During the Q & A, Guy Nattiv (writer and director), and his wife, Jaime Ray Newman (producer), asked if we could forgive Bryon for what he had done. Could you? The only way to make that decision is to watch the movie, which is premiering at the Village East Cinemas this Friday, July 26th. Skin is an important and highly relevant movie, especially in this current, charged political climate. Although this movie explores dark and unsettling territory, it is an amazing story of love and determination to leave a destructive and hateful life behind.
UPDATE: We got a shoutout from Skin director, Guy Nattiv on Instagram. Thank you so much for the feature! Good luck with the movie and on your future endeavors!
NYC Theater News
Flatiron Hot! Critic: “Skin”: Can a White Supremacist Leave his Old Life Behind and Start Anew?
Reported by Hannah Weinstein for the Flatiron Hot! News
Last Tuesday night, I attended an advance movie screening and Q & A of the feature film, Skin, at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Theater. Located on 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues the theater is a short, two-block walk from the NYC Seminar and Conference Center, and perfect for an evening activity after a day of meetings.
Leaving the Vinlanders was not easy for Bryon, and threatening visits from the gang members put him and his new family at risk of danger and violence. Desperate and in need of a solution, Bryon turned to a black activist, Daryle Jenkins, who offered Bryon and his new family immunity in return for names and information concerning the Vinlanders gang.
A major component of starting a new life was removing the dozens of tattoos on Bryon’s body. Scattered throughout the movie were clips of him in the hospital undergoing treatment. We see the laser surgery up close, we hear the “zaps” of the laser targeting the ink, accompanied by beautiful classical music playing in the background. We see the intense pain Bryon endured, portrayed through his tense body, grinding teeth, and white knuckles from sustaining tight fists. According to the movie, it took him nearly two years of laser surgery to complete the process and to physically transform himself into a new man.
This is a story of identify, family, and love. Bryon grappled with which family he wanted to be a part of, and by extension, his identity. The movie makes you contemplate how someone like Bryon could have a change of character and leave behind a life of hate and violence. During the Q & A, Guy Nattiv (writer and director), and his wife, Jaime Ray Newman (producer), asked if we could forgive Bryon for what he had done. Could you? The only way to make that decision is to watch the movie, which is premiering at the Village East Cinemas this Friday, July 26th. Skin is an important and highly relevant movie, especially in this current, charged political climate. Although this movie explores dark and unsettling territory, it is an amazing story of love and determination to leave a destructive and hateful life behind.
UPDATE: We got a shoutout from Skin director, Guy Nattiv on Instagram. Thank you so much for the feature! Good luck with the movie and on your future endeavors!