The Skin I'm In

A brush with death propels filmmaker Broderick Fox on an international journey that yields an extraordinary collaboration between himself and two other artists: Kwakwaka'wakw artist Rande Cook, and African-American tattoo artist Zulu. Fox candidly shares a history of self abuse, spiritual neglect, and intellectual drive that fragmented his identity into multiple, compartmentalized selves. His story reflects a tendency of many young marginalized individuals who seek to reconcile socially-demanded roles with their personal desires. The film also documents the transformation of Broderick's body into a living canvas, as Rande and Zulu collaborate with him to produce his full back tattoo. The design, which brings together three Kwakwaka'wakw myths of personal significance, and the ritual of its realization mark a commitment to a more integrated approach to living. These three artists, separated by culture, race, sexuality, and life experience, share interesting parallels in their life trajectories. When Rande first sought out an apprenticeship with established First Nations artists, no one would agree to work with him, threatened by his youth and obvious talents. No one in the tattooing community would mentor Zulu because of the color of his skin. As a young man looking to culture and the gay community for role models, Broderick’s search turned up empty; many of the men he would later come to admire (Marlon Riggs, Harvey Milk, and Tom Joslin) had either died of AIDS or been assassinated. Spanning Canada, Japan, Germany, Kenya, the U.S. mainland, and Hawaii, The Skin I’m In is about coming out, standing up to cultural prejudice, and defining a sense of self through experience rather than yielding to the status quo. Each in their own way, Broderick, Rande, and Zulu have found ways to become comfortable in their skins despite early setbacks, prejudices, and obstacles. Perhaps most importantly, each is now thankful for having experienced and survived the challenges that made them the artists and men they have become today. The Skin I’m In offers up courage and hope for all individuals to chart their own path towards self-understanding and social agency.