What’s so Amazingly Absurd about Deerskin? Everything.
Intimate and daring, Quentin Dupieux’s Deerskin subtly creeps under your skin as you watch a lone traveler descend into a dangerous world of his own making. Deerskin uses static yet visceral camerawork, a menacing score by Janko Nilovic, and a compelling performance by Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) to absorb the viewer in a psychological drama that seems to end just as it is beginning.
Georges (Dujardin) is wrestling with his collapsing marriage. In his depression, he travels to a small village to purchase a fringed deerskin jacket. Upon donning the jacket, Georges immediately finds kinship in his new apparel. His connection with the jacket begins to grow as he psychologically begins to understand the needs of the deerskin jacket. A communications link begins to grow between the pair as Georges begins to unravel. Within their absurd relationship, the jacket and Georges discover they share the same dream: to eliminate all other jackets on earth. Under the guise of making a film, Georges begins his journey to fulfill the shared dream. Along the way, Georges enlists the help of a novice editor, Denise (Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s Adèle Haenel), to assist him in giving purpose to his nonsensical behavior. In his quest, Georges’ commitment to the dream comes at the expense of anyone unlucky enough to be wearing an inferior jacket.
Deerskin is an extremely condensed story. At only seventy-seven minutes, the film tends to spend the first half establishing the inexplicable connection Georges has with his new jacket and how the deerskin jacket fills the need for companionship Georges is suddenly feeling. However, once that connection is created, the film takes off into its own madness. There is usually no time for meandering in such a short runtime, but Deerskin takes its time and the end result is much better for it. We never really learn much about Georges, and to be honest, we don’t really have to. The absurd journey he is on is far more fascinating than any event that could have preceded the onset of the film. The character and influence of an inanimate jacket inexplicably drive the film and I found myself never questioning why. The film beautifully sets up the irrational as rational, and all the characters involved accept the rules of the jacket’s deluded dreams.
Dujardin and Haenel, as Georges and Denise, are perfectly paired throughout the film. They tacitly understand the rules dictated by the jacket and push forward, seeking the fulfillment of the fantasy. Denise encourages Georges to complete his film and even helps him do so financially. The brilliance of these actors is found in how subtly they play their characters. They are literally the only characters on screen. There are interactions with nameless victims and shopkeepers, but Denise, Georges and a lifeless jacket are the only characters that inhabit Dupieux’s absurd world. Coupled with a short runtime, static camera, and poignant score, Deerskin roils with its commitment to intimacy. The lack of diversity in Deerskin is reflected only in its ability to portray a three-way relationship between a man, a woman, and a jacket and nothing else. Even in the illogical world created in the film, one believes that only Georges, Denise, and the jacket exist, and all others are inconsequential.
Although extremely short and minimalist in nature, Deerskin erupts with dark humor and creative violence. The lack of other actors and characters mixes well with the intimate nature of the film. The result is a clever adventure into madness and the most exciting film you could watch about the murderous intent of a jacket. My only advice is to immediately give in to the ludicrous and embrace the preposterous. The film itself is an enjoyable exploration into madness and the delightfully understated performances arouse curiosity throughout the brief runtime. Absurdity reigns supreme in Deerskin and that truly is something to celebrate.
Deerskin can be rented through you local independent theater via virtual screenings.
