Jean-Francois, Ronald, Alexis, Cedek, Bonoise and Maxim from a simple life to a life of endless heroism. The film tells about a group of heroes who are trying to be in perfect harmony with modern times, from a strong man to a top-class bodybuilder to a veteran who has become a coach. Each of them is waiting for a journey of struggle in which everyone participates in the same real situation to overcome their constraints in many conflicts.
A brilliant take on a sport that has the surface appearance of machismo. The film reveals a much more feminine side, complete with hair removal and posing.
Unfortunately, viewers unacquainted with weight lifting probably won't learn much about Côté's musclemen or their sport just by watching them fuss over their appearances ...
A Skin So Soft is an object lesson on how dispensing with the template of the expository documentary can help filmmakers see past the most explicit attributes of their subjects.
The compositions are never less than immaculate, producing all manner of random correspondences and a recurring touch of camp that occasionally blossoms into full-blown Tom of Finland territory.
This minimalist approach to maximalist bodies offers an intimate look at six men whose lives are centered on their physical performance and appearance.
All about will and the focusing of it beyond all reason, it's both fascinating and revolting to watch these people punish themselves in the name of perfection.
"A Skin So Soft" walks a tightrope in how it presents the vanity of these guys, practically fetishizing them and asking viewers what makes these six men beautiful, erotic, or perhaps even grotesque.
Their narcissism is repellent yet riveting, and Mr. Côté comes at his subjects with an artful, exploratory obliqueness that's endearingly curious, as if discovering a whole new species.
