The Reflecting Skin

Friday, November 6 - Saturday, November 7, 2026

Growing up in the 1950s in small-town Idaho, 8-year-old Seth and his friends play a prank on the town recluse, a mysterious English widow named Dolphin Blue (Tony winner Lindsay Duncan). After his father tells him stories of vampires, Seth becomes convinced Dolphin is a vampire, stealing the souls of his neighborhood friends one by one. When his older brother Cameron (Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen in one of his first starring roles), returns home from military service in the Pacific and takes a liking to Dolphin, Seth feels it’s up to him to save Cameron from his friends’ fate. With stunning visuals recalling Edward Hopper paintings and its surreal blend of horror and humor, THE REFLECTING SKIN is a “stunningly beautiful…Gothic masterpiece” (The Guardian)!”

“I’ve yet to watch anything else that captures how puzzling, menacing, and arcane the adult world felt to me as a kid. They all seemed like vampires who fed off disappointment. If you relate to that, this is the movie for you!” 

Staff Pick by Caroline Barber, Programs & Promotions Coordinator

Screening as part of our series Staff Picks 2026

• Country United Kingdom
• Year 1990
• Running Time 96 minutes
• Format DCP
• Distributor Film Movement
• Director Philip Ridley
• Cast Viggo Mortensen, Lindsay Duncan, Jeremy Cooper, Sheila Moore, Duncan Fraser
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.