To what mad, dangerous extremes might young women go to make their darker skin even a shade lighter? This is the question posed in “Skin”, a sci-fi horror short presented at the 2026 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
We open on two sisters arguing – or rather, with one of them, Rhea, chiding her younger sister, Kanika, who is about to go to a beauty clinic to have her skin bleached. How can she not be proud of her skin color and her heritage? Rhea feels strongly about cultural identity and toxic beauty ideals, and has even built a social media following around these themes. Kanika, however, could not care less. She has been seduced by commercial discourse surrounding traditional beauty standards, and soon heads to the clinic.
This brief scene serves as an apt summary of the debates raging among women about society’s obsession with whiteness as a symbol of beauty and purity. Many people with darker skin tones have internalized such discourses, and social media – or even their friends or siblings – are unlikely to change their minds.
With “Skin”, Indian American writer/director Urvashi Pathania sets her sights toward the kind of elevated (body) horror that has made the fortunes of the likes of Jordan Peel’s “Get Out” or, even closer to her themes, Coralie Fargeat in “The Substance”. In only 12 minutes of runtime she shows her ability at handling weighty themes in efficient and effective manner. The more horror-oriented scenes might not be the scariest or most repulsive, but they do clearly convey the points Pathania is trying to make.
Likewise, even though the story does not exactly make a lot of sense, it does offer a few twists, while its main point is well taken. The two lead actresses, Sureni Weerasekera and Shreya Navile, are very effective as the warring sisters and contribute a lot to the overall success of the short film. Cinematography, by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone, is also very effective.
Although it is very similar to the films mentioned above, one gets the feeling there is still room for a longer version, even a feature film, of “Skin” that would explore these important issues more deeply (the feature screenplay version of “Skin” was selected for the 2024 Sundance Screenwriters Lab, opening up just such a possibility). Especially, perhaps, as these questions relate to Indian American women. This is exactly what elevated horror is all about, after all, and Pathania clearly has the potential to deliver on these fronts. After all, issues around race, skin color and ideals of beauty are unlikely to magically wash away anytime soon.
