LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Being a teenager is a weird time. Your taste in music becomes your entire personality. You dye your hair with colors you never would as a responsible adult. And your body is seemingly impervious to the effects of a hangover. It’s also a time when we may have to grow up more quickly than we’d like to, and for some adolescents, it’s precipitated by tragedy and the poor decisions that follow. La Piel del Agua (The Skin of the Water), from filmmaker Patricia Velásquez, is one of many movies highlighting this period of one’s life, but is it enough to separate it from the pack?
Camilla (Juan Luis Araya) is a typical teenage girl in Costa Rica. She loves emo rock music, literature, and having fun with friends. One night, she goes out with her friends to see one of their favorite bands. After a show filled with copious use of psychedelic substances, she meets one of the band members, the dark and mysterious Diego (Juan Luis Araya).
Sparks fly between the two, even though glaring red flags like the significant age gap and his propensity for violent outbursts add a tinge of danger to the situation. Adding to Camilla’s troubles is the recent accident that sent her mother to the hospital with serious injuries. This forces Camilla to move in with her father, someone with whom Camilla harbors significant animosity. She’d much rather run away with her new boyfriend than hang out with her Dad.

“After a show filled with copious use of psychedelic substances, she meets one of the band members…”
The setup for La Piel del Agua has been seen on numerous occasions. While far from novel, the characters’ relatability and interactions keep us engaged throughout. Araya is great as Camilla. She’s probably not too far removed from living the life of an angsty teenager, so she brings believability to the role. Rounding out the noteworthy performances is César Maurel as her father, channeling perfectly the frustrations of a father unable to relate to his daughter, who to a man in his late forties might as well be an extra-terrestrial.
The emo/punk soundtrack propels the narrative forward at a brisk pace. Velásquez probably relies on the music too much in place of exposition, but the needle drops are in sync with the overall mood of the film. Music was a large part of life as a teenager, and she was wise to include such a pumping soundtrack. As we get older, we realize we used music like this to communicate things we didn’t know how to verbalize. Kudos to Velázquez for understanding this detail.
While La Piel del Agua is certainly not a movie that will win any points for originality, its charm stays with one after watching. Earnest performances and a great soundtrack make up for what could be considered a lack of creativity. Reinventing the wheel isn’t a necessity every time. Even those of us that aren’t suckers for coming-of-age stories can appreciate a primer in Costa Rican rock music.
La Piel del Agua screened at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival.