Given the age of Instagram Beauty, social media Wellness and the grifters that come along with it, and the TikTok age of beauty care products, it was bound to happen: a movie about skincare and essentially the local skincare wars as everyone fights for a piece of the pie. That’s essentially the gist of the new Elizabeth Moss film, aptly titled “Skincare” by director Austin Peters. Written by Sam Freilich, Austin Peters, and Deering Regan, the film centers on a famed aesthetician’s (Moss) skincare business that faces sabotage when a rival opens a boutique across the street. Aided by a friend, the aesthetician seeks to uncover who’s trying to ruin her reputation.
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The film also stars Lewis Pullman (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Luis Gerardo Méndez (“Charlie’s Angels”), Nathan Fillion (“The Rookie”), and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (“Pose”); the film is set to hit theaters on August 16
Here’s the official synopsis:
In SKINCARE, famed aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line, but her personal and work lives are challenged when rival facialist Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a new skincare boutique directly across from her store. She starts to suspect that someone is trying to sabotage her reputation and business, and together with her friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman) she embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of who is trying to destroy her life.
Austin Peters is a writer and director and is known for music video works with artists like Orville Peck, Diplo, Chvrches, and Rae Sremmurd, and in work for brands like Vogue, i-D, Wrangler, American Express, Rag & Bone, and Target.
His feature documentary “Give Me Future” about the free Major Lazer concert in Havana, Cuba, that drew half a million fans, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of the first films acquired by Apple as they moved into the entertainment space.
“Skincare” opens August 16 via IFC Films. Watch the first trailer below.