The Skin I Live In [DVD] [2011]

Pedro Almodóvar has created so many superb surrealistic yet intensely human films that it s no surprise that he should enter the genre of horror stories. THE SKIN I LIVE IN (La piel que habito) takes us deep inside a terrifying concept and yet for all the potential for being a gore fest he manages to make it one of his finest explorations of the human psyche.Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) lives in a mansion with his servant: Marilla (Marisa Paredes) is the head of the household and happens to be Robert's mother as well - Roberto having been raised by the family for whom Marilla was working at the time the head of the household impregnated her. Robert is a plastic surgeon and has committed his teaching and research and creativity towards perfecting a type of skin that sustain fire, cuts, and insects, and despite the lack of backing of his prestigious colleagues to extend this work toward work with humans, Robert is working in secret in his home trying to devise a skin that would have helped his late wife severely burned in an auto accident. His patient in progress is Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya) on whom Robert works day and night to perfect his `invention' of perfect skin. In a typical Almodóvar move, a strange man in a tiger costume (for Carnival) arrives at Robert's home: Zeca (Roberto Álamo) is a criminal on the run, needs money, happens to be the other son of Marilla, and is the one responsible for the fiery accident that disfigured Robert's wife who subsequently committed suicide when after surviving the accident sees her own distorted image in a window and leaps to her death.The film takes us back six years to explain the events: Robert's daughter Norma (Blanca Suárez) has been hospitalized and medicated for mental illness since she observed her mother's suicide. But she goes to a party where she is desired by a young lad Vicente (Jan Cornet) and in the throes of drugs the two enter into an attempted sexual liaison that is discovered by Roberto. What happens after this is best left unsaid as the key to the terror of the film has begun and sharing more would deprive the viewer of the suspense and brilliance of the script.The story was adapted by Pedro Almodóvar and Agustín Almodóvar from a French novel `Tarantula' by Thierry Jonquet, the phenomenal musical score was written by Alberto Iglesias, and the haunting cinematography is the work of José Luis Alcaine. Blessed with a cast of magnificent actors (Almodóvar's usual entourage plus more) Pedro Almodóvar directs this fascinating film to new heights, even for him. The story is complex and while it is bizarre in almost every aspect, it remains a film that explores the human psyche, the power of love, revenge, and the extremes seemingly ordinary people will go if motivated. It is a brilliant film that only grow better with repeated viewings. Grady Harp, March 12

If you , by the end, do not realize just exactly you just watched, you won't get it. This is a wonderfully sick and twisted movie. So almost perfect in it's design. Brilliant, cerebral, thought provoking, questions unanswered. This is one fantastic piece of art. I just got lost in it.

Not super scary. A lot of very uncomfortable scenes for the typical person to watch but a good one

I bought this movie sight unseen because I like Banderas and Elena Anaya, neither one disappoints. Anaya is pretty much the perfect woman physically (I've never met her) and Banderas is handsome of course and has an intensity about his acting that transcends nationalities. This was a tighter, more stylish film than I thought it would be.At first I dismissed it as another Human Centipede kind of movie but it is far far better than that. A sleek, sophisticated, stylish thriller.Sure there's a lot of violence and nudity and shocking moments but it's also a very cool movie and I had no problems watching the characters interact or understanding their intentions.The director/writer is brilliant and never mind what anyone says about the film being disturbing because it's genius and one of the most original thrillers I've seen in a long long time.I would equate this more with David Cronenberg's The Fly and Dead Ringers (two films I love) than with anything else. It's main theme of transformation and experimentation resides within both of those films as well, I just wonder what Vera's life would be like after the credits roll. It would be great to see a sequel to this or even a trilogy like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which is another disturbingly-beautiful film I would equate this with, but only if the director remained and only if Elena Anaya would continue her role and if the standards of quality both in directing and in writing would not diminish....

Antonio Banderas fans will love this movie. It is subtitled but still easy to follow along and most of the action, and movie sequences can be gathered without even focusing heavily on the sub-script. With that being said this movie was "HIT" and "MISS" for me. One moment you are saying "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT" and the next you have to scratch your head as to where exactly was this movie driving to.Is it worth the rent?Yes, if you are not having to fork out more than say 4 bucks for it. There are interesting concepts subtly woven within the fabric of the movie. Such as love, and the loss of a loved one, and to what extremes one will go to, to re-capture what is lost.This movie definitely has a part where you are saying to yourself "NO WAY, HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT"? Yet, once you get past the initial thrill of that film sequence, the viewer is sorta left in limbo as to how it should tidy up it's loose ends, and bring the film to a nice tidy conclusion. On shock value alone this film is worth the rent, but the conclusion at the end of the film will leave many viewers scratching their head asking "is that it"?As for me, I would recommend it for your enjoyment, just do not expect it to knock your socks off. At best it will leave you a lasting impression into what can be done, and is done in the world of plastic surgery and the quest for love on a slightly obsessed and creepy level.-nuff said