Second Skin examines the lives of various people who immerse themselves in the world of online gaming, specifically Massively Multiplayer Online Games. The film shows some of the positive aspects of these games, such as people meeting and falling in love, and the liberating effects the games can have for those with physical disabilities. It also delves into the serious problems addiction to these games can have. The strength of the film lies in the compelling subjects interviewed for the film. Second Skin is a good introduction to the issues raised when people spend such a significant amount of time interacting through an online environment. The insights won’t be new to anyone who has been following the effects of any kind of online social interactions, but the interviewees make for engaging viewing.

Second Skin provides a lot of statistics throughout, but sometimes they seem out of context. The numbers are often only tangentially related to the story.

The section about the liberating effects of online gaming for those with physical disabilities is disappointingly short and feels like a bit of an afterthought. The film would have been stronger if one of the subjects from this short segment were one of the people the film follows more thoroughly.  Continue reading →

Say My Name is an interesting look into the world of female hip-hop artists and would make a compelling double-bill with Who Does She Think She Is. Like that film, Say My Name allows the artists to speak without interference from the filmmakers and is loosely structured around common themes that develop from their stories. Say My Name speaks with both established and new artists from New York, Atlanta, Detroit, and London.

Say My Name speaks volumes about the misogyny in mainstream music and hip-hop culture without becoming didactic. There is only one short stretch toward the end of the film where it directly confronts this issue but it bubbles under the surface throughout the film. It is more of a celebration of the female artists but the need of this celebration points to the inequalities in the male-dominated industry. Continue reading →