Director: Alice Maio Mackay
Writers: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson
Stars: Alexandra McVicker, Scott Major, Charlotte Chimes
Synopsis: After escaping her transphobic hometown, Anna meets goth tattoo artist Gen. They bond over shared supernatural abilities, but Gen’s tattoo work accidentally conjures a demon before their romance can bloom.
As a cisgender woman, I’ll never fully understand the hardships trans women go through. It’s hard enough living in a patriarchal world as a femme-presenting woman, and when transphobia enters the equation, trans folks face obstacles that increase in severity exponentially. The Serpent’s Skin is Alice Maio Mackay’s sixth feature film, which opens viewers’ eyes to see the world through a trans woman’s perspective. It is an exciting fairytale-like love story with a witchy edge.
Mackay tells us this transgender film, as indicated by the film’s opening credits, through Anna (Alexandra McVicker), who just embarks on a journey for herself to get out of a transphobic town where she lives with her non-accepting parents. It’s a sad reality that many trans people face, and a realization for those not in their shoes that even places marginalized people inhabit, like their childhood home, don’t feel safe. Anna goes to live with her sister Dakota (Charlotte Chimes), but as accepting as her sister is, rent has to be paid, and Anna begins her job search.
Finding a job is nerve-wracking enough, let alone when you just move to a new city. Add in the stress of trying to find friends to make it easier to transition into social spaces; needless to say, Anna finds more than what she imagined she would. In a steamy hook-up with the neighborhood hunk Danny (Jordan Dulieu), Anna begins to have visions of a dark-haired woman that doesn’t feel like a stranger. The Serpent’s Skin doesn’t shy away from the intimate scenes and shows a healthy sex life of a young woman enjoying life as her true self.
Anna has a somewhat chaotic life, attracting increasingly strange and unusual situations. Like when she lands a job at a music store, in fact, it’s the first place she even inquires about a job, getting an on-the-spot training session to see how it goes. She’s a natural and has a kind, welcoming personality. Making it much more upsetting when she finds herself in danger during a shift, being assaulted during a robbery, leaving a gash from hitting her head.
But once again, she sees visions of a mysterious dark-haired woman, this time giving her the courage to stand up and face the robber, making him leave with his tail between his legs. When Anna eventually meets face-to-face with the woman she’s been having thoughts of, she introduces herself as Gen (Avalon Fast). Their connection and physical attraction toward one another are felt instantly, and it’s easily The Serpent’s Skin‘s most heartwarming aspect: two people who feel made for one another. Gen is a tattoo artist who essentially tells Anna that they are connected because they are both as close to witches as one can be.
Their love story is incredibly well done, and I felt myself swooning at both of these women falling for one another. Through the many lessons that Gen gives Anna involving their powers, they look out for those around them from being hurt. Though Anna is more reckless with her newfound powers, she takes scaring off bad guys too far. When a monster spawns in their town, seemingly an outcome of the witches’ powers, they figure out how to save their dearest loved ones.
The Serpent’s Skin has such an exciting screenplay from Mackay and fellow writer Benjamin Pahl Robinson. It’s refreshing to see a romantic relationship that shows love through a trans lens. Firstly, it’s an intoxicating romance between two women, especially through Mackay’s vision. Secondly, Anna is a sexually active person and has her fair share of sexual encounters. But there’s a real dedication to representing how trans women have to face sex in different ways than cis women, and it’s something that is rarely explored in film. Altering their partner beforehand to inform them that they are a trans woman, and breathing a sigh of relief when they are met with overwhelming acceptance.
There’s a nostalgic essence to The Serpent’s Skin, like it’s a film that was thought to be lost in the ‘90s and resurfaced all these years later. From the pink glow of Gen and Anna’s eyes when their powers are being used, to the design of the monster they awaken. And if you’ve seen any of Mackay’s other films such as T Blockers or Satanic Panic, then you’ll know that there’s a unique haze to her films that makes the use of bright neon lights pop that much more. It’s a joy to watch a filmmaker with such a unique vision be able to bring it to life with such confidence.
Admittedly, this is the first performance of McVicker I’ve seen, but her work as Anna is addictive to watch. She makes Anna such a lovable and approachable character, one that, at the end of the day, is just looking for a connection. It helps that McVicker herself is trans, making her character that much more captivating to watch. Her shared moments with Fast are some of the film’s best work, and Fast really knows how to lay on the charm, making their love feel intense and worthy of fighting for when need be.
Mackay’s films are some of the most unique I’ve had the pleasure of watching; the visual allure of them is reminiscent of the cover of a Goosebumps novel. The Serpent’s Skin has a timeless aspect to it, maybe because it’s a trans story that we’ve heartbreakingly heard from someone we know. Or the love-at-first-sight romance we’ve all been through. Making it an instant trans classic that not only is yearningly romantic but a riot with its use of witchy magic.
