Film / Knives And Skin

Have You Seen Carolyn Harper?

Knives and Skin is a 2019 teen drama directed by Jennifer Reeder.

In a rural town, choir teacher and single parent Lisa Harper finds out her teenage daughter Carolyn went out with a boy and never came home. Fearing the worst, Lisa loses her grip on reality.

Carolyn's three friends Joanna, Laurel and Charlotte struggle to deal with their friends' disappearance as well as their own personal dramas. Joanna is forced to find money through illegitimate means due to her mother's mental instability. Laurel must come to terms both with her homosexuality and Charlotte is a frequent target for bullies, one of whom is Laurel's brother who secretly pines for her.On top of all this, Joanna's father has lost his job as a party clown and is sleeping with Laurel's mother.

Not to be confused with Knives Out, which also deals with a family member dying.

Tropes

• Bittersweet Ending: Lisa, Joanna, Charlotte and Laurel all find closure in Carolyn's death and get on with their lives.
• Bookends: Carolyn loses her trademark glasses at the start of the film and they're eventually returned to her mother by the end.
• Ephebophile: Lisa makes out with Andy out of anxiety and the English teacher tries to kiss Joanna.
• Everytown, America: The setting is described as mid-west America.
• Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Charlotte has a rather extravagant fashion sense, yet is quite introverted.
• Jerk Jock: Andy. He treats girls as nothing more than sex objects.
• Lipstick Lesbian: Laurel is conventionally feminine, along with her new girlfriend.
• Missing White Woman Syndrome: Played with. Carolyn's disappearance is treated as a big deal for a few days, then everyone bar Lisa seemingly stops caring and deals with their own character arcs.
• Sanity Slippage: Lisa does not cope with Carolyn's disappearance at all. She starts wearing her clothes, crying during rehearsals, destroys her daughter's room and makes out with Andy.

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Can you hear them?

They talk about us

Telling lies, well that's no surprise

Can you see them?

See right through them

They have no shield

No secrets to reveal

It doesn't matter what they say

In the jealous games people play

Our lips are sealed