DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Lyme disease is a canary in the coal mine and case study for what’s poisonous in both our environment and our science.  At the epicenter a tiny microbe looms, providing a powerful symbol for an issue that is hidden and lurking—so small yet immense, so real but unrecognized.  What has gotten under our skin is not just a microorganism, but a lethal system which has abandoned some of the most needy and threatens us all.  Our own human skin is a microcosm of the earth, and the extent to which the earth’s body is out of balance, so is our own.

I want to show the horror of an illness and an ill system that too long has been ignored. But I also want to show the human and natural beauty right next to it. Sometimes indistinguishable, the beauty and horror are intertwined.  If UNDER OUR SKIN merely perpetuates the idea that the natural world is perilous, or that human nature is corrupt, we miss out on the beauty that surrounds us.  On the other hand, if we are lulled by convention and don’t look beneath the surface, we risk infection by the equally dangerous maladies of ignorance and indifference.

– Andrew Abrahams, San Francisco     

 

AWARDS

Semifinalist, Academy Awards, Best Documentary Feature

Finalist, Audience Choice Award, Tribeca Film Festival (World Premiere)

Winner, Best of Festival, Fargo Film Festival

Winner, Best Documentaries of 2010, Video Librarian

Winner, Best Documentary, Houston International Film Festival

Winner, Best Documentary, Sonoma International Film Festival

Winner, Audience Favorite, Durango Independent Film Festival

Winner, Best Documentary, Okanagan (Canada) International Film Festival

Winner, Best Documentary, Camden International Film Festival

Winner, Best Picture Silver Award, International Health Film Festival (Greece)

Winner, Best in Health & Science, CINE Golden Eagle Awards

Winner, Best in Infectious Diseases, International Health & Medical Media Awards


REVIEWS

"Like a well-made thriller, gets under your skin…more deeply terrifying than any slasher film you'll ever see."

- Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post

"Heart-rending...scary enough to make the faint of heart decide never to venture into the woods."

- Stephen Holden, New York Times

"Fascinating...artful and compelling." 

- Frank DiGiacomo, Vanity Fair

"Eye-opening...frightening, powerful stuff."

- Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

"Head-spinning...riveting...a rigorously researched and highly thorough piece of investigative reporting."

- Lauren Wissot, Slant Magazine

"Stirs the deepest emotions and reveals the most unsettling truth."

- Justin Berton, San Francisco Chronicle

"Takes what seems to be a straightforward subject...and turns it into a detective story, a romance, an inspirational drama, a conspiracy thriller and a science lesson, all in one."

- David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com

"Enlightening and alarming...Wilson takes us on a journey of discovery."

- Leonard Maltin, Film Critic

"The visual beauty of the film underlies its most haunting theme. The closer humans get to nature, the more sensitive they must become to its hidden dangers. UNDER OUR SKIN details a medical nightmare. The movie only looks like a sun-kissed dream."

- Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun

"Infectiously persuasive...targets both the heart and brain."

- Sarah Sluis, The Hollywood Reporter

"[A] dizzying and dramatic documentary...handsomely reported and photographed."

- Andrew O'Hehir, Salon Magazine

"Well-researched...suspenseful...artfully shot." 

- Alissa Simon, Variety

"Excellent filmmaking...stunning cinematography...will grab your attention and hold it from start to finish." 

- Jennifer Merin, About.com

"Enthralling and powerful...should bring the arguments surrounding chronic Lyme disease to a wider international audience."

- Julian Upton, The Lancet