A standout from TIFF 2019, Deerskin (Le Daim) is a wildly inventive, slyly surreal slasher from the mind of Quentin Dupieux, best known as his musical alter-ego, Mr. Oizo. With past films like Rubber, Wong Cops and Reality establishing his filmic voice over the past decade, Deerskin seems to be the distillation of everything we love about his films: wholly committed to an absurd reality, the soundtrack, composition and performances blend together into a complete and often hilarious view of one man trying to live out his dreams.
Our mysterious protagonist, Georges, hits the road looking for a very Particular jacket. Played with a rumpled charm by Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (best known for his silent, scene stealing performance in ‘The Artist’) as a man in the throws of an undefined mid-life crisis, he drops nearly 10,000 euros on a vintage Deerskin jacket, and checks into a run down hotel in rural France.
After a hilariously self absorbed interaction with the locals, and a bemused bartender (Adèle Haenel), Georges sets off on his quest, to take his “Killer Style” to the world, by any means necessary. As he spirals into madness, enabled by his newly discovered love of “Filmmaking” and the enthusiastic bartender as his editor, the film seems at time to be both an absurd commentary on filmmaking, of French cinema, and a self-aware shot at film directors themselves, while simultaneously being a pretty great slasher at it’s core.
Fully committed to it’s fantasy, Deerskin is often disturbing, steadily hilarious and never boring, it’s brisk 85 minute run time all that’s needed to peek into the lurid and hyper violent world of self-aware clothing and brutally effective DIY weaponry. Highly recommended to Horror fans, comedy fans and film nuts alike, check the trailer below to see for yourself.
