Sundance 2023 Film Festival – Writer/director Kenneth Dagatan’s second feature, In My Mother’s Skin, is a lean and unsettling Filipino horror film, a midnight fairy tale with a ghastly flesh-eating fairy. The WW II-era film combines folklore, body horror, possession, and two kids caught in the center of an occupation by hostile Japanese forces. Dagatan’s latest proves that he’s a director worthy of attention.

The film stars Felicity Kyle Napuli as Tala, a young girl swept up in a wartime nightmare. Her father leaves the family to negotiate their freedom with Japanese forces and is MIA for much of the film. This leaves Tala and her brother, Bayani (James Mavie Estrella), with their sickly mother, Ligaya (Beauty Gonzalez). Not only do the kids have to fear for their father’s safety, but they also dread running out of food. Even worse, their mom’s health quickly deteriorates. Tala then encounters a fairy (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), who offers a “cure” for Ligaya and leaves the choice up to Tala. However, once Tala gives her mom the cure, which comes in the form of a cicada-like bug that creeps into her throat while she’s sleeping, the situation goes from bad to worse quite abruptly. The “cure” causes Ligaya to crave flesh, just like the fairy. The mother morphs into a hideous force that the children no longer recognize. Soon, Bayani and Tala only have each other.

In My Mother’s Skin is a film that takes its time but never feels like it drags. It first establishes the family dynamics and the threat they face under occupation. It then introduces the fairy and Tala’s uneasy relationship with the mythical creature. But when the horror does come, it hits hard. There are some truly gruesome scenes in the second half that are bloody and shocking. Even the way Ligaya’s tongue slithers out of her mouth feels grotesque. No one is safe from her relentless appetite. Further, the feature contains some gnarly body horror and terrifying moments of possession. Yet, all of it feels wholly original.

This is also quite an atmospheric film. Most of it takes place in the family’s shadowy home where threats come from the inside and outside. The sound design includes a frequent chittering noise that indicates the fairy and/or mother are close by and ready to feast upon the next victim, leaving rotting corpses behind. Not even the kids are safe here. While the setting may be simple, Dagatan uses it to great effect, creating suspense and unease. It gets to a point where you’re unsure where this movie will go or who the mom/fairy will attack next.

In My Mother’s Skin is a hellish fairy tale with a truly memorable monster. This WWII-era film doesn’t relent from putting children in danger, including a young girl just trying to protect her family. Dagatan is a bold new voice in horror with something to say. His second feature is moody, atmospheric, and disquieting.

The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and will be available to stream on Prime Video later this year.

7.5 Out of 10