The Shell is an essay film that explores what it means to inhabit a human body. Throughout the five chapters—Affliction, Compulsion, Rapture, Penance, and Presence—the documentary invites its viewers into the intriguing sensorial world of physical suffering and introduces individuals who are going through different forms of pain.
 

The movie portrays a young man, who suffers from the skin disease Epidermolysis bullosa, a skateboarder who compulsively repeats his tricks, a woman who invites us to witness the different stages of her natural childbirth, and an encruzado doing penance during a procession of Holy Week in Taxco, Mexico. It culminates in a reflection on the relation between self and body from the perspective of a disembodied consciousness floating over Los Angeles.
 

With the aim of moving beyond corporal sensation,The Shell confronts the audience’s discomfort through its use of vibrant shots and musical interludes, creating a contrast which transcends human suffering on a physical level and invites the viewer to explore what a body is able to endure.