A Skin So Soft

Serious-sounding slogans on T-Shirts: Strong Enough, Torture Chamber, Unleash the Beast. Extensive tattoos depicting mosaics of flames or hellish figures. And, above all, muscles: overgrown, stretching the skin to its limits, creating a monumental physique. In his documentary, Denis Côté portrays a number of men who have devoted their lives to bodybuilding. He shows their persistence and backbreaking effort, as well as their narcissism, which is a bit paradoxical, since it is difficult to reconcile with their image as modern barbarians. The protagonists lift incredible weights before proudly flexing in front of a mirror, a camera lens, or a crowd of people. The director looks at them with fascination and affection, pleasantly surprised that these tough guys just want to feel beautiful.