5. Dans Ma Peau (2002)
Self-cannibalism. Wonderful topic! And we arrive there thanks to Dans Ma Peau. Esther is an extremely intelligent woman who is seemingly compus mentus. However, one day she injures herself - a substantial wound requiring stitches. Out of morbid fascination she picks the stitches off and this begins an all consuming obsession with self mutilation - she ventures even further into the mire of self-cannibalism. An extremely difficult film to watch - one that doesn't shy away from portraying such a sensitive subject matter in all its gruesomeness, Dans Ma Peau forces us to confront some horrible truths about the nature of addiction and human behaviour. Self harm is terribly addictive and can be seen as a form of self destruction. Esther, living a seemingly controlled and happy existence, turns to self mutilation when the going gets tough career-wise, status-wise, love life-wise. It is her secret way of coping with society's pressures and she is driven to wanton binges of self mutilation. The film is devoid of all emotion except the sheer bliss of unadulterated self destruction. An intensely personal film by Monique de Van