“I have no boundaries . . . my skin is inside out,” says Kiki (Isabelle Blais in a fearless performance) at the beginning of Lyne Charlebois’s harrowing debut feature. This pained protagonist is trying to write her master’s thesis while sleeping with her married literature professor (played by Betty Blue’s Jean-Hugues Anglade) and dealing with a history of various addictions, self-abuse and childhood trauma. Kiki’s life unfolds in three separate timeframes that overlap daringly in the scenario, as past selves brush past the present one and sometimes overwhelm it. This difficult journey down memory lane is engendered by her birthday, her attempt to write an autobiographical novel, and her grandmother’s increasing infirmity. As words, family and the ghosts of her past threaten to overwhelm her, she valiantly endeavors to confront her demons honestly without losing her sanity. Blais’s commitment to the role is palpable—she invests Kiki with humor, self-awareness, and a soul-baring essence that is unforgettable. She utters Charlebois’s daring and difficult words (based on Marie-Sissi Labrèche’s well-known, semiautobiographical novels) as if they were imprinted on her very skin.

Written by Lyne Charlebois, Marie-Sissi Labrèche. Photographed by Steve Asselin. With Isabelle Blais, Angèle Coutu, Sylvie Drapeau, Laurence Carbonneau (109 min, Max Films).