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Mit Haut und Haar

Under My Skin
Retrospective 2019
Source: DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main, © Eva Gensch
Six women born between 1907 and 1925 look back at “their” century. The directors use a series of sophisticated questions to draw out the experiences of their subjects – “What do you know about your birth? What was your favourite food as a child? Were you told the facts of life? What was your first kiss like? Your first menstruation? What were your dreams for the future? How do you feel about getting older?” The montage of their many voices and memories produces a tightly-woven oral history, in which constants specific to women and individual experiences have equal prominence. World War II represents a decisive point in the lives of these women, one of whom was a member of the Nazi Party and another of whom joined the Social Democrats after the war … The women answer the most intimate of questions, sometimes readily, sometimes hesitantly. Under My Skin was shot in extreme proximity to its subjects, turning it into a film that renders history in impressive images. Over and again, artfully lit close-ups vividly re-imagine the past as the traces left on aging bodies.
by Crescentia Dünßer, Martina Döcker
with Hedwig Bollhagen, Christel Cranz-Borchers, Dr. Gertraude Ils, Ursula Kage, Emmy Macho, Tana Schanzara Germany 1999 German 91’ Black/White Documentary form

With

  • Hedwig Bollhagen
  • Christel Cranz-Borchers
  • Dr. Gertraude Ils
  • Ursula Kage
  • Emmy Macho
  • Tana Schanzara

Crew

Written and Directed by Crescentia Dünßer, Martina Döcker
Cinematography Sophie Maintigneux
Editing Jens Klüber
Music Harald Bluechel-Zand
Sound Daniel de Oliveira
Commissioning Editor Sibylle Hubatschek-Rahn

Additional information

Film print: DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt am Main