Knives and Skin
Raven Whitely
Knives and Skin by Jennifer Reeder
USA 2019, Generation
© Newcity Chicago Film Project
Knives and Skin by Jennifer Reeder
USA 2019, Generation
© Newcity Chicago Film Project
Knives and Skin by Jennifer Reeder
USA 2019, Generation
© Newcity Chicago Film Project
A small town somewhere in the Midwestern US. For the local teens, high school life would not be complete without football team, marching band, cheerleaders and mascot. The adults are preoccupied with desire, midlife crises and marital problems. The disappearance of the schoolgirl Carolyn Harper rends the facade of normality for the townsfolk. Fear and loss cause the members of Carolyn’s circle to develop desperate coping strategies as they are forced to confront their shallow lives. Jennifer Reeder creates a mysterious world, accentuated by pop-song choirs, reinterpreting genre elements taken from magical realism, musical, absurd comedy and film noir. The result is a dazzling neo-feminist thriller that bathes urgent contemporary themes in a garish light.
With
- Grace Smith (Joanna Kitzmiller)
- Ireon Roach (Charlotte Kurtich)
- Kayla Carter (Laurel Darlington)
- Tim Hopper (Dan Kitzmiller)
- Marika Engelhardt (Lisa Harper)
- Raven Whitley (Carolyn Harper)
- Audrey Francis (Lynn Kitzmiller)
- Kate Arrington (Renee Darlington)
- James Vincent Meredith (Doug Darlington)
- Ty Olwin (Andy Kitzmiller)
Crew
| Written and Directed by | Jennifer Reeder |
| Cinematography | Christopher Rejano |
| Editing | Mike Olenick |
| Music | Nick Zinner |
| Sound Design | Drew Weir |
| Sound | Jason Culver |
| Production Design | Adri Siriwatt |
| Costumes | Kate Grube |
| Make-Up | Kat Sass |
| Assistant Director | Joshua Schilling |
| Casting | Jennifer S. Rudnicke, Mickie Paskal |
| Production Manager | Quinn Nicholson |
| Producers | Brian Hieggelke, Jan Hieggelke |
World Sales
Produced by
Newcity Chicago Film Project
The film team
Knives and Skin · Generation · Feb 09, 2019
Jennifer Reeder, Maryanne Redpath
The director, here with the section head, has been presenting several of her films at the Berlinale before.
Knives and Skin · Generation · Feb 09, 2019
Jennifer Reeder
Born in Ohio, USA in 1973, she graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Her multi-award-winning feature films, which have screened at numerous international festivals, focus on stories about relationships, trauma and dealing with such experiences. In 2015, her film Blood Below the Skin screened in Berlinale Shorts; in 2016, Crystal Lake featured in the Generation programme.
Filmography (selection)
1995 White Trash Girl; short film 2006 The Heart and Other Small Shapes; short film 2007 Claim; short film 2008 Accidents at Home and How They Happen 2010 Seven Songs About Thunder; short film · Tears Cannot Restore Her: Therefore, I Weep; short film 2012 And I Will Rise If Only To Hold You Down; short film 2013 Girls Love Horses; short film 2014 A Million Miles Away; short film 2015 Blood Below the Skin; short film 2016 Marietta Brimble; short film · Crystal Lake; short film 2017 Signature Move · LOLA, 15; short film · Shuvit; short film · All Small Bodies; short film 2018 I Dream You Dream of Me; short film 2019 Knives and Skin · Huluween Film Fest: The Dunes; TV film · The Dunes; short film 2021 Forevering; short film · I Like Tomorrow; short film, co-director: Nancy Andrews · V/H/S/94; anthology film, segment: ”Holy Hell“ 2022 Night’s End 2023 Perpetrator
Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023