Unter der Haut

Things couldn't be going better for Martin Siedler: as a press officer for a large pharmaceutical company, he is responsible for marketing a new drug that is set to bring great success to the company and thus to him as well. Martin is fully committed to the drug and brand, and his boss Walter is quick to notice this. But then Martin learns that the blood coagulant, which is derived from blood plasma, carries HIV. Not only that: his boss knows this and accepts it with approval. Martin struggles with his conscience, even though his wife Sabine's pregnancy has sensitized him to his private concerns. It is only when he is directly affected that his perspective changes. Under the Skin traces the blood scandal of the 1980s. Friedemann Fromm's film doesn't stick to a chronological account of events. By inventing a hero who believes the hemophilia drug that causes AIDS is a blessing, writers Eva & Volker A. Zahn allow the audience to experience his fate very emotionally and up close. In conjunction with an extremely elaborate cinematic language that is rich in associations and Mücke's restrained acting style, however, there is no mawkish, overwhelming dramaturgy. On the contrary: Fromm's direction and Klima's camera also create distance and open up new approaches to the story. “Under the Skin” traces the blood scandal of the 1980s. (...) By inventing a hero who believes the hemophilia drug that causes AIDS is a blessing before the disease catches up with him, the authors Eva & Volker A. Zahn allow the viewer to share in his fate very closely and emotionally. But the extremely elaborate cinematic language, which is full of associations, and Mücke's restrained acting style prevent the film from becoming mawkish and overpowering. On the contrary: Fromm's direction and Klima's camerawork also create distance and open up new approaches to the story.