How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 16 August 2011
This a movie review of THE SKIN I LIVE IN. |
“The things the love of a mad man can do,” Marilia (Marisa Paredes)
This has got to be one of the most f**ked up films I have seen, along with I SAW THE DEVIL, in a long, long time. I enjoy his work, but director Pedro Almodovar’s films sometimes merge together. THE SKIN I LIVE IN is not one of them. It is mysterious, sexy, brutal, horrifying. Actually it is a psychological horror, in the vein of David Cronenberg. The human body is the canvas. Antonio Banderas reunites with his MATADOR team-mate and they make something more disturbing. The sex in this film is never romantic or loving.
This has got to be one of the most f**ked up films I have seen, along with I SAW THE DEVIL, in a long, long time. I enjoy his work, but director Pedro Almodovar’s films sometimes merge together. THE SKIN I LIVE IN is not one of them. It is mysterious, sexy, brutal, horrifying. Actually it is a psychological horror, in the vein of David Cronenberg. The human body is the canvas. Antonio Banderas reunites with his MATADOR team-mate and they make something more disturbing. The sex in this film is never romantic or loving.
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I’d forgotten that Almodovar was doing a revenge flick until well into the movie. We start in Toledo, Spain, 2012, and we jump back in time on three occasions. I am very wary about giving away any plot details; one of the real pleasures is trying to put together timelines and motivations. Banderas is an elite surgeon, Robert Ledgard. Robert’s introduction is a lecture on face transplants. Out of the nine done in the world, he has done three. He also has developed an artificial skin, called “Gal”.
There are ethical questions arising already about his work. It also seems that he has a patient/captive, Vera (Elena Anaya), locked up in one of the rooms in his mansion. Vera wears an unusual cloth body stocking, suggesting he is still working on her. Then one day the estranged son of the woman that runs his house, breaks into Vera’s room and attacks her. Robert returns home and punishes him. Robert and Vera end up falling asleep together and dream. These dreams reveal a nightmare history for them.
As one would expect from the Spanish maestro, the film is handsomely shot; coupled together with the dark undercurrents of desire. The immorality of humankind is revealed in even more striking detail. The themes of madness, obsession and lust permeate proceedings. THE SKIN I LIVE IN is certainly one of the most inventive revenge dramas. It reminded me of the graphic novel A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, the denouement was actually jettisoned by Cronenberg in his adaptation. Like I SAW THE DEVIL, this will stay with you long after, and not necessarily in a good way.