In Her Skin

In Her Skin (also known as I Am You from the working title How to Change in 9 Weeks) is a 2009 Australian drama movie written and directed by Simone North. The film is based on the true story of the murder of 15-year-old Rachel Barber, Ivan Southall's granddaughter, who went missing on March, 1, 1999. It was later discovered that Barber was murdered by a former neighbour and family babysitter, Caroline Reed Robertson. The film's story is told from alternating points of view; the victim, the victim's parents, and the murderer. Flashbacks reveal details about all of the characters, including the motive of the murderer. In Her Skin is inspired by the book Perfect Victim by Elizabeth Southall (Rachel's mother) and Megan Norris (an Investigative reporter). Synopsis Fifteen-year old Rachel Barber misses her tram to meet with her father. Her parents grow concerned and report the incident to the police the next day. Since Rachel had gone missing with her backpack, with several of her most favorite possessions, the police treat the case as a teenage runaway incident. Caroline Reid Robertson, a former neighbor and babysitter to the Barber family suffers from low self-esteem, depression, and an inferiority complex due to being bullied at school. Her parents are divorced and she has a complicated relationship with them. She idolizes the Barber family especially their daughter Rachel and tries to emulate her. This obsession continues even after Caroline starts her adult life away from the Barber family. After years spent in obsessing over Rachel, Caroline decides to 'become' Rachel and replace her. She asks Rachel to be a part of a confidential study through which Rachel can earn a considerable amount of money. Rachel confides about the study to her boyfriend, Manni, who is skeptical about it, but she does not tell him who recruited her for the study.