The Man Who Sold His Skin

Sam Ali, a young Syrian refugee, longs to reunite with the woman he loves in Europe. To make that dream possible, he agrees to become part of a radical art project. A notorious contemporary artist tattoos his back, turning the body into a living canvas and a headline grabbing sculpture. As the collaboration unfolds, Sam crosses borders and lives that are bound by money, fame, and the gaze of the world. The film follows his ascent from exile to spectacle and tests how consent, dignity, and love survive when someone becomes a public artifact meant to provoke. The result is provocative and unsettling. Behind the spectacle lies a bitter reckoning.

Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the film is a transnational collaboration that reflects her fearless approach to sensitive subjects. It is inspired by the real life concept of a man becoming a living artwork after his back is tattooed by a controversial artist, and the ensemble includes Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Koen De Bouw, Monica Bellucci, and Saad Lostan.

Box Office: Public box office data for this title is not readily disclosed, reflecting a limited release and festival run rather than wide commercial play across cinemas worldwide.

The film sparked lively discussions about the ethics of art and the refugee experience, prompting debates across global cultural and academic circles. It probes how markets and fame can turn a person into a spectacle, and asks where consent ends and exploitation begins when the body is used as art and as a political statement.

Critics have noted the film's bold premise and Yahya Mahayni's poised lead performance, with praise for its visual language and restraint. It threads themes of identity, displacement, memory, and the price of being seen, presenting a morally gray portrait that challenges viewers to reconsider art, empathy, and responsibility.