The Skin I Live In (2011)

Title: The Skin I Live In

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, and Jan Cornet

Rated: R

Released: 2011

Personal Rating: 6/5

Oscars: N/A

Basic Plot: A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.



Themes of Love and Revenge
This movie runs on love and revenge. The actions of the protagonist (who is the villain in this movie), Robert Ledgard, are rooted deeply in his feelings of love and revenge. One example of this (that won't spoil the movie for you) is that the face he gave Vera (his patient) was his wife's face. While this is disturbing, it is a show of love.

The Cinematography
Each shot of this movie is beautiful in its design. Each shot moves you and draws you in. Yes, acting is important, but how a film looks helps improve the experience. The music helps (and one song in particular proves to be of importance) and makes the viewing experience delightful.

WTF is Going On
I feel this should be addressed since this isn't a movie for everyone. This movie is VERY disturbing. Once the twist happens it gets VERY VERY DISTURBING. While I love this movie, I would say that if you are young (under 18) and/or conservative in political views and/or religious views (like Catholics) you probably won't enjoy this film. I don't want to turn people away from this movie, but it does deal with matters that some people might find VERY offensive.

Final Thoughts
This movie rocks! At the end of it I felt like I could hardly breathe since I was so full of emotions. I was both horrified and delighted about it. It is a great combination of horror, thriller, and science fiction. I have not seen such a good movie in a long LONG time. It is a foreign film, and subtitled, but that shouldn't matter to someone looking for a masterpiece.