Plot
In the beginning, Bryon Widner's life unfolds as a skinhead deeply integrated into a white supremacist community. He grows up in a dysfunctional family and eventually ends up living on the streets. Fred, the leader of the Nazi community, and his wife take him in, give him clothes, and find him a job. Believing he has finally found a real family, Bryon fully embraces the movement.
Over time, cracks begin to appear in his so-called perfect skinhead life. He starts showing aversion to certain acts of violence and falls in love with Julie Price, a vulnerable single mother of three. As their relationship grows, Bryon and Julie begin building a different life together that includes her children and distances them from the white supremacist community.
Unhappy with his change of heart, his Nazi "family" tries to pull him back in. But when he becomes involved in the burning of a mosque in his hometown, an act that costs innocent lives, overcome with guilt, Bryon makes the difficult decision to leave the white supremacist movement. He seeks help from political activist Daryle Lamont Jenkins, who supports his transition out of extremism.
Bryon marries Julie and takes on low-wage, manual jobs, struggling to find better opportunities due to his Nazi past.
But the movement refuses to let him go. When they come after him again, he asks them to leave him alone, instead, they set up a test mission that results in Bryon being shot and one of the Nazis being killed.
After recovering in the hospital, Bryon meets with Jenkins, who arranges for his entry into the FBI’s witness protection program. However, the Nazis are relentless. One night, they ambush Bryon’s home, shooting at the house while Julie—who is pregnant—and her children are inside. When the attack ends, Bryon discovers his dog, Boss, hanging from a tree—a chilling message from his former associates.
Later, he learns that one of Julie's daughters has deliberately given away their location to the white supremacist group. She has been manipulated by "Mum" of the Nazi community, who had made her believe they were friends. Overcome with anger, Bryon loses control and becomes aggressive, prompting Julie to send him away.
Using the information Bryon provided, the FBI raids the white supremacist compound and arrests its members.
Determined to erase his past, Bryon agrees to undergo two years of surgeries to remove the tattoos covering his face and hands. In the end, he finds his way back to his wife and child, hoping to build a new life free from hatred.
Jenkins continues leading the One People's Project, and Bryon becomes actively involved in the initiative, using his experience to help others leave extremist groups.
Production
On May 11, 2017, international rights to Skin was bought by Seville International at the 70th Cannes Film Festival. [3] In August 2018, it was reported that composer Dan Romer would be scoring the music for the feature. [4]
In May 2017, it was announced that Jamie Bell and Danielle Macdonald would star in the film, with Nattiv writing the screenplay, producing and directing. [5] In March 2018, after production on the film had started, Vera Farmiga was announced to have joined the cast of the film, with Nattiv's wife Jaime Ray Newman reported to be producing. [6] That same month, Mike Colter was cast as Daryle Lamont Jenkins, founder of the One People's Project. [7] Shortly thereafter, actors Ari Barkan, Scott Thomas, Daniel Henshall, Michael Villar, Justin Wilson, and Russel Posner joined the cast.
Principal photography began in January 2018 in Kingston, New York, and was completed in March 2018.
