Despite having zero background about the uncanny true story that inspired it, Skincare presents a twisted thriller with Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Wet Hot American Summer) at the center. What would you do if someone was gaslighting your every movement, manipulating your life from top to bottom to set you up for failure? Banks plays celebrity aesthetician Hope Goldman, on the cusp of actualizing her dreams with a launch of her new skincare line. Stylish direction from Austin Peters and a captivatingly unhinged performance from Banks should push this well beyond the typical merits of a throwaway biopic. Skincare never opts as a one to one recreation of aesthetician Dawn DaLuise’s disturbing story of manipulation; rather, the script from Sam Freilich, Austin Peters, and Deering Regan heightens the narrative with a dangerous edge in every interaction. Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, The Strangers: Prey At Night) and Michaela Jae Rodriguez (Ryan Murphy’s Pose, American Horror Story: Delicate) excel in supporting roles, especially juxtaposed against the mania of Banks.
A “fictional story inspired by true events,” Skincare pulls that age-old tactic of starting at the end in 2013 before flashing back to what led up to it. Hope (Banks) hastily redoes her makeup as the sound of cop cars pulling up to her home ring loud and true. Two weeks earlier, Hope was preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime with her first television interview about the upcoming launch of her beauty care product line. Boasting high quality products made in Italy, Hope has an optimistic outlook for her transition from being a celebrity facialist to releasing products of her own. Her joy is relatively brief over the interview—right across the path from her own practice, Shimmer By Angel prepares to open. Disgusted that her landlord would allow another facialist in the same complex, Hope urges Jeff to kick Angel (Luis Gerardo Mendez, Murder Mystery, Charlie’s Angels) to the curb to favor her fifteen-year patronage. Money talks though, especially since Hope has been falling behind on her rent.
Enter: twenty-six-year-old Jordan (Pullman), a former photographer turned life coach who also teaches self defense. Upon meeting Hope through her personal assistant, Marie (Rodriguez), the duo instantly connect. Over coffee, they vow to help one another however they can. When Hope’s business quickly begins to crumble, Jordan becomes a support system, vowing to remain by her side come what may. It all starts with an email sent out to almost five thousand people in Hope’s contacts. She appears to have been hacked—now her celebrity clients, family members, and friends all think Hope is heading into bankruptcy, and desperately wants a “hard dick.”
As the appointment cancellations begin, Hope’s taped segment on the Brett and Kylie show gets pulled. Angel’s star rises as Hope’s falls, snatching every opportunity she has, and her client list, too. The harassment does not stop there, either. Someone slashes Hope’s tires. Creepy men start showing up at the clinic for unsolicited promises of sex. Hope knows that Angel simply must be responsible for derailing her career. How can she stop the torment? Not even the cops will entertain her case without steadfast evidence. We follow Hope’s story for the majority of the runtime, at a loss for who could be doing this and why. What motive could possibly explain away an utter commitment to destroying a successful female entrepreneur’s lifeblood?
Director Austin Peters relishes in the punchier aspects of the movie, embracing a pink color palette. Hope’s luxurious, unsustainable lifestyle extends to her wardrobe, granting us plenty of fabulous outfits for Banks. Maybe none of them are quite as extravagant as anything Effie wears in The Hunger Games, but the filmmakers keep Hope’s outfits essential to her persona. Pullman has a standout scene in nothing but underwear as he blasts Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” high on cocaine. As predatory creep Bret, Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Slither) makes for a perfectly unnerving addition to the already crumbling facade of Hope’s existence. Michaela Jae Rodriguez also slays opposite Banks, acting as the perfect low-key opposite to Hope’s increasingly manic turn.
An aspect of Skincare feels very old fashioned, especially regarding the handling of discrediting a woman. Regardless of who ends up meddling behind the curtain, Hope absolutely did not deserve anything that happens to her throughout. It would be enough to make anyone crazy, but would it be enough to turn them to murder? The real-life tale of Dawn DaLuise was already wild on its own without adding extra fluff. Yet somehow, the supplemental material fleshes out Hope’s curious situation with ease. A gripping character study accentuated by colorful visuals and moral complexity, Skincare has the honor of housing Elizabeth Banks’s greatest role to date.
Be careful when selecting the perfect Skincare routine, unboxing exclusively in theaters on Friday, August 16th from IFC Films.
