From the Front Row

Dreaming about being alone or abandoned, especially in the dark, is the kind of childhood nightmare that feels almost universal. It's a dream so many of us have had that I'm surprised it's taken this long for a filmmaker to capitalize on it in such a direct way. Kyle Edward Ball's Skinamarink  does just that. After going viral following a festival premiere late last year, the film is now enjoying a wide theatrical release from IFC Midnight and Shudder, before making its debut on the streaming platform next month. It's rare to see such an experimental film become such a word-of-mouth success, and  Skinamarink  manages to live up to the hype while leaving the distinct feeling that it could have been a much better film than it is. What it gets right is the way in which so indelibly conveys the feeling of a child's nightmare. The film centers around two young children whose dad disappears, along with all the doors and windows in the house, leaving them alone with th