The quest for eternal youth is one which has fascinated humankind from time immemorial. The multi-million-dollar market in cosmetics and beauty products has morphed into an ocean of anti-aging and skin replenishing therapies. Not to mention medication, herbal supplements and all manner of weird and wonderful treatments and plans. In Norbert Keil’s new film Replace, a woman’s quest for youth ends up driving her to extreme measures.
Kira Mabon (Rebecca Forsythe) has a problem. Actually, she has two. Firstly, her skin seems to be rapidly aging, to the point of crumbling away. Secondly, she can’t remember anything that happened more than a week ago. Confused and frightened, she finds an appointment card for the mysterious Dr. Crober (Barbara Crampton) and visits her specialist skincare clinic for tests. Kira is befriended by a neighbour (Lucie Aron) who tries to help but soon realises that there’s only one way to keep her skin young and fresh.
Replace is a clever, mind-bending voyage into the sphere of vampirism, narcissism and psychological horror. Right from the very off, Keil uses a variety of visual and aural devices to disorientate and put the audience on the back foot. Forsythe is extremely believable in the main role and it’s always a pleasure to see genre legend Barbara Crampton on the big screen. Replace is a heady mix of body horror, psychological thriller and kitsch giallo. One which becomes more tender the more layers you peel away.
Replace is released on DVD and Digital Download by Studiocanal on 16 October.
