Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line, but her personal and work lives are challenged when rival facialist Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a new skincare boutique directly across from her store. She starts to suspect that someone is trying to sabotage her reputation and business, and together with her friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman), she embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of who is trying to destroy her life.

For thoughts on Skincare, please see my colleague Jaylan Salah’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Skincare arrives on Blu-Ray with an exquisite 1080p video presentation that looks as strong and stable as the source deserves. The image is crisp and clean with the natural color palette radiating off the screen. The film has some bold splashes of color within the lighting, clothing, and certain facets of the production design. Highlights are stable, and the black levels are deep with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a favorable amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation delivers a respectable amount of depth on display, especially when Hope is sneaking around outside of her shop. The abundance of makeup containers in the production design, along with the fabrics of clothing, provides clear textural details. This Blu-Ray is a first-rate representation of this movie.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a sturdy DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handles every element with an equal amount of care. One of the most rewarding aspects of the film is the original score created by Fatima Al Qadiri, which fills up the room with pulsating fidelity. A few odd moments engage the low end of the track, but it is not a powerhouse in that regard. When Hope is out and about in the world, there are some rewarding ambient details that flesh out the setting. Dialogue is the star of the film, and it always comes through clearly without being bulldozed by any competing sounds. This track is a nice effort from the folks at the Independent Film Company. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director/co-writer Austin Peters and cinematographer Christopher Ripley provide a new commentary track in which they reflect on the production of the film, collaborating with the performers, how they achieved certain shots, challenging moments during the shoot, how they wanted to frame particular shots, the score of the film, and much more.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Rachel Leishman is provided that explores the film from multiple perspectives.

Final Thoughts

Skincare is a satirical thriller that fares better in concept than execution. We love Elizabeth Banks, and she puts forth a laudably committed performance that would not be the same without her. The rest of the ensemble is in top form, as well, from the bit players to the other top-billed names. The film simply doesn’t bring all of its ideas together in the most effective manner, leaving the end feeling a bit messy and underbaked. The film does gain points for some impeccable needle drops, though, and it entertains pretty consistently. IFC Films has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. Recommended

Skincare is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: IFC Films and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.