Epidermis
Directed by Valeria Fleming
Mexico · 2025 · 8 min · Other; Mental health;
Submitted to RTV International Film Festival 2026Synopsis
Martina's inability to move through reality, driven by internal conflicts, compels her to face the condensation of the intangible.
About the film
Martina forces herself to stay distracted and embellish reality due to an omnipresent discomfort. The weight of her emotions leads her back to the shower, the place where she plans to wash away her feelings through the extreme cleansing of the epidermis. Her desire to be seen, loved, and recognized makes her meticulously attentive to those around her, begging for a glance or a word of praise that might make her feel cherished. Unable to acknowledge her own desires, she saturates her daily life with a childlike perspective. She is so focused on her own anxieties that she fails to notice the love that actually surrounds her. Meanwhile, the bathroom pipes have become a nest for a viscous liquid that encapsulates an entire year’s worth of suppressed feelings. Martina will have to face the discomfort and the consequences of her self-imposed repression.
Publicity materials supplied or expressly authorized by the rights holder. Publication is separate from festival selection.
RTV International Film Festival — Inaugural Online Edition · 2026