Skin Gang

This is a gratuitiously shocking movie that around one-third of the audience left in disgust but which I watched until the end in the hope of finding some point which I could share with the good people of cyberspace. The best I cand do is suggest that it's trying to say that the most virulently homophbic people are latent homosexuals themselves, which isn't an original idea. In any case, the way this point is made is so shocking that it won't reach a wide audience. It's redeemed by some dark humour, but even this is of a kind that mainstream audiences will be repelled by.

Bruce LaBruce is getting worse! This must be the worst movie he has ever made, or was that No Skin Of My Ass, or Hustler White? This must be his momentum: making a justified porn flick. Even in porn flicks the acting and story is better than in this so-called arthouse theatrical release. The plot is disgusting and so is the acting. Really a very bad movie. Couldn't he use some "better" models? "Skin Flick" (aka "SkinGang") is a total waste of time. Don't watch it!!!

Opposite to the more recent films of La Bruce, this one is simply boring. Most moves can be anticipated, acting is far too "professional", the story is nonsense, even if I will admit, that it may suggest that sex has to do with violence. But that is knowledge from the last century or even older. So what? I strongly recommend not to view "Skin Flick", especially if someone is usually a fan of Bruce La Bruce.

Opening with a couple of black-and-white scenes of skinheads at play (including Steve Masters and Eden Miller beating up some guy) we return to color to see Tim Vincent getting off on Hitler's "Mein Kampf." They are joined by Ralph Steel, and soon Steve Masters gets off with Eden Miller on a British flag.

Later, Jens Hammer has dinner with Bastian, a Brit Black. LaBruce establishes them as "guppies" by showing them eating sushi and equipping their room with books on Robert Mapplethorpe.

The story culminates in the gang's decision to break into the guppies' apartment, vandalize it and terrorize the two occupants. They sexually overpower Bastian, noting "I've never f**ked a 'monkey' before." We're aware of the racism of this remark, which is emphasized as the gang chants "F**k the monkey" repeatedly. However, the violence looks so fake that the whole thing seems rather surreal.

Finally one of the guppies kills Eden Miller and turn the tables, forcing Steve Masters at gunpoint to undergo his own humiliation. The film interestingly ends as Bastian checks out one skinhead on a sidewalk.

LaBruce's point appears to be that the skinheads are victims of their misdirected guilt. He declines to go the traditional route of fetishizing fascist thugs through S&M games. Instead, he depicts his gang as exuberant in their homosexual enjoyment but disdainful of homosexuality.

LaBruce explores some of the contradictions of the skinhead lifestyle in interviews with the characters. One of them tries to hide the fact he's Jewish. Another sings the Austrian national anthem. While this film is not supposed to be taken too seriously, it provides something to think about afterwards.

This is a very confronting film - not because of the sex, you can see a lot more in any porn film, but because of the disturbing way in which the sex turns you on. These guys are skinheads - violent "queer-bashers", but they love to have sex with each other. And watching them do it - and rape and be raped - with such an exhilarating energy becomes erotic. It freaked me out a little to be turned on by this film - and I think that's the point - human sexuality is very complex and labelling it never works.