The Skin I Live In Reviews

Normally, I would review a Spanish movie on its language, but since I’ve covered every previous surgeon thriller/horror movie that I know of in English, this will have to do.

It was actually because of this title that I watched all the previous ones and what a mistake that was because aside from the original (“Les Yeux Sans Visage”), every other movie was either disposable schlock (“Seddok, l’erede di Satana”, “Corruption”, “Les Predateurs de la Nuite”) or had the potential to be good but only managed to come off as mediocre (“Gritos en la noche”). La piel que habito is easily the best of the bunch.

Production wise is obviously far ahead of all the previous titles, despite its simple looking characters and the lack of a specific aesthetic, which most of the previous movies had. The visuals are overall good, the movements are good for what the cast had to do, there’s enough variety of locations and thus backgrounds despite taking place mostly on closed spaces, and the directing is good, something expected from this director, from what I’ve come to know (this is the first film of Almodóvar that I watched).

The atmosphere is pretty good as well, good and suspenseful soundtrack (unlike the bad and unfitting ones from all the previously mentioned titles), good sound effects, and good acting from everyone, even during the silliest parts of the movie.

The plot this time around isn’t about a surgeon killing women to take their skin and transplant it to his girlfriend, or sister, or daughter, or a random woman, it’s a very twisted premise of him using a woman as a guinea pig for the sake of developing an artificial skin after a tragedy, so it’s a more interesting scenario, even though it affects the character appeal for some by not giving the protagonist a decent goal.

But you know what? Since the movie is basically about sociopaths doing sociopathic things, and since in retrospect it meant not having all the gore schlock from some of the earlier movies, I was fine with the protagonist being the villain and having a selfish goal, especially because he was always presented as such, even while showing his motivation.

The pacing is good at every moment, with every scene progressing the plot or focusing on characterization, something which can’t be said about most of the previous examples, and in general having something happening to prevent the movie of becoming dull.

With that said, besides the changes in the formula, the plot is probably the simplest of all, especially after it was revealed to be a revenge plot. I don’t find much of a deeper meaning or message besides what’s happening on a surface level, I mean yeah, obsession and revenge, the same can be said about some of the similar movies.

The credibility of what happens is…low, from the premise itself, to the way the characters act, at times changing their behavior completely from one moment to another with not much reason, and even by having some silly moments, but at least some of them are explained quickly, thankfully (the dude wearing a leotard disguise and showing his butt cheeks).

The exposition is a bit awkward at times, which, out of all the movies I watched, only happened in the Spanish ones for some reason. In this one, the way the old woman revealed her past was weird, even more so because she is talking to a person that despises her. It’s a shame because soon afterwards another backdrop is completely shown, not told, making the previous scene even weirder.

The plot twist made the already twisted character dynamic even more impactful in a good and bad way, it was quite shocking and made the movie even more messed up, but my enjoyment, which was already low at that point, became even lower afterwards. At least, like I already said, it was shown properly, without any awkward exposition.

The conclusion was…kind of awesome, what the female lead did after her backdrop was revealed and how it flipped everything prior in the movie? And the final scene, that even cuts away at the most emotional moment instead of showing more than needed, as many films tend to do? Yeah, despite the villains falling for it too easily, it was still pretty great.

The characters, being kind of a bunch of sociopaths, sure are a memorable bunch, even if they don’t have the most complex and definitely not likeable personalities. Development is non-existent, no one changes from how they were at the beginning, but at least they are more and more interconnected through their shared backdrop stories, and the catharsis for the female lead was strong, after everything that happened and for how she flipped the whole movie. And it’s interesting how they referenced to it in “Wonder Woman”, since the female lead has a role there.

For better or worse, for all of its highs and lows, it sure is a memorable movie, is it rewatchable though? Mmm I don’t know about that, I find the plot simple and relying heavily on the plot twist for that, but for a one time experience, it is quite the solid watch and the best movie with its premise.

Since it had been years the last time I saw a movie directed by Pedro Almodovar, I was really eager to see this one, especially since it had received some stellar reviews. Well, I wasn't disappointed as it was easily his best movie in years. Indeed, it was a fascinating tale and the Spanish master delivered here a really strong thriller. On top of that, after 20 long years, he was working again with Antonio Banderas who gave here one of his best performances. Unfortunately, even though the whole thing really had the potential to be a real masterpiece, it still didn't completely worked, I'm afraid. First of all, I was worried when this guy in tiger suit showed up. Seriously, this character came from nowhere and he was basically one of these typical obnoxious characters that are a trademark in Almodovar's work. Fortunately, he was killed off within the next 10 minutes. Then, I also struggled with the daugther. I mean, she was supposed to be a major drive behind the main character's actions but she was actually poorly developed and reduced to a rather pathetic mental case. Finally, even though the story was quite powerful and already pretty messed-up, which is rather usual with this director, they still felt the need to go for a really random structure which wasn't really interesting after all. In fact, it wasn't only the structure, the whole thing was actually pretty random. For example, the way Marilia tells that she is Zeca's mother but also Robert's mother came out from nowhere, it didn't add much to the whole thing and why on Earth would she tell this to Vera? Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was still a fascinating thriller, a really original take on the Frankenstein tale, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Almodovar's work. 

I had been wanting to see this for a really long time as I really like Antonio Banderas. This however was not what I was expecting to see when I hit play. Elena Anaya is quite stunning and a great actress who really shows her skills in this. The story is quite unusual and different. This Indie film is artsy and beautifully filmed while still being able to disturb you easily. The chemistry of the characters is interesting and unique. The characters are unique, flawed, and deep which really ties it all in a nice bow. Just when you think you know what is going on something changes. It truly is far from what you expect going in. The twists and turns will leave you thinking you have just been mind-fucked brutally. It is a well made story with a crazy plot that is quite uncomfortable to watch, but don't let that push you away. Don't let yourself skip this one.

This is undoubtedly the darkest of all Almodovar. Here, the director abandons almost completely melodramatic speech devoted to him and dives deeply into a realm of more psychological approach than usual, full of nuances and shocking. Proof that he is able to get out of your comfort zone and venture into original productions.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of The Skin I Live In is a confused gender identity built upon the character Vicente/Vera. Robert Ledgard, responsible for the handling, believes, like all good stuff, we're just skin we inhabit. Thus, he believes to be carrying the most severe punishment to the rapist of his daughter, as irreversible as death would be a life of shame and humiliation a female body as despised by Vincent (played by an excellent Jan Cornet).

However, the plot takes unexpected directions when confronted the viewer with the past of Dr Ledgard, plagued not only by the rape (and then suicide) of her daughter, but also by the death of his wife. What should be only a quest for revenge becomes a quest for resurrection of lost love. Vincent gets a face almost identical to the deceased wife of a surgeon and extra protection against burns, skin highly resistant. Robert arrives to declare for their creation transsexual she "never has been burned again". There had been a necrophiliac transfer morbid personality, like the classic Hitchcock film "Vertigo".

Dr Ledgard, by this time had forgotten the whole accident why would continue that crazy saga, but not Vincent. This was still a little about himself alive, a "soul" that overlaps the whole matter that lived there, however modified and tangible (a fact that triggered the tragic end). Thus, it is possible to say that the greatest message of Almodóvar is that no matter where we are or how the body we have modified, our essence will always remain and will overcome (message that can be taken both as an ode to the human soul and beauty inside and a heavy critique of contemporary exaggerations in plastic interventions).

The art direction is tremendous: the colors of Almodovar almost disappeared, giving way to a cold surgical practice, but not so barren (by contrast, is required for immersion and psychological tension voyeuristic). The picture is flawless, the soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias is one of the best by the Spanish and filmography of the performances leave nothing to be desired. Highlights also include the excellent script and the sober direction. Through The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodovar shows the world that can escape the commonplace that gave him fame and, thus, stands as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.