msierraalt Almodóvar presents us with a very original story filled with eccentric characters, lots of sex and the right amount of suspense. The best thing about this film is definitely the script, which slowly unravels the mystery of Vera's character while exploring the rest of the cast in a nonlinear fashion. Antonio Banderas and Vera Cruz are both great, and the cinematography is also chosen with care. The climax might be where the film is weakest, as the decision Vera takes is too important to be motivated just because of a newspaper. The last scene, however, gives the film its heart and makes me wonder if it would have been a stronger film if it had had Vera as a clear protagonist from the start.

CinemaClown Enigmatic at first, The Skin I Live In (also known as La piel que habito) peels its layers one by one, for it is mysterious during its first act, delivers a shocking jolt in the middle when all the scattered dots are connected, and culminates on a tragic & heartbreaking note in the finale to finish as one psychological thriller that's exquisitely crafted & expertly told.The story of The Skin I Live In follows a plastic surgeon who's managed to create a synthetic skin that can withstand any kind of damage. Unbeknownst to the outside world, his patient is a young woman whom he's kept captive in his secluded estate over the years. As the plot moves forward, the events that led him on the path of his current obsession are revealed.Written & directed by Pedro Almodóvar, this is my first stint with his works and although the story seemed to be headed nowhere at first, the mystifying aura of it was able to keep the interest alive long enough before the secrets are unveiled, and ultimately leaves a positive impression when it's all over. Themes of obsession, identity, sexual violence & revenge are tackled & finely explored.The images brim with a piercing clarity and the entire film is gorgeously photographed from start to finish. Camera is effectively utilised and whether it's calm or chaotic scenes, it retains its still & silent operation. Editing is finely carried out for the most part although there are a few times when a scene lingers on for longer than required. As for the background score, it absolutely bleeds when it's supposed to.Coming to the performances, the cast consists of Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes & Jan Cornet, and everyone plays their part dutifully. Banderas is in as the plastic surgeon whose obsession with his only patient originates from a past tragedy. Anaya is terrific as the mysterious & volatile patient, Paredes maintains a firm control over her character while Cornet's part is far more vital to the plot than it looks.On an overall scale, The Skin I Live In is perplexing & frustrating at first but begins to make sense once all the pieces of the puzzle find their respective spots and form a unified whole. A gripping, thrilling & scarring experience, with elements of horror & sci-fi thrown into the mix, The Skin I Live In is an end result of restrained direction from Almodóvar & honest performances from its faithful cast, and is definitely worth a watch.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews What exactly is plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ledgard(Banderas, brilliant, obsessed) working on in the top-level facility in his home? And who is his subject?I haven't read the book, or watched much else by Almodóvar. This is about fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, identity, how do we define ourselves and who we are. Like a lot of genre fiction, this explores the things men do to women. To their bodies. Claiming to do it out of love. Even specifically of that girl. Then why do they fight through her protests? Even complain at them? Say she should be happy about it? Take advantage of her trusting nature? Justify, excuse, but not apologize for, what they're doing to them? "There's some sex in all violence, and vice versa", Cronenberg is quoted as saying in 2005. If not for when it came out, this film could easily be the main reason for him saying it.There's a huge exposition dump a quarter into this, with one bit after another of backstory. It's literally one person telling all this to another. The revelations are powerful, and couldn't have been done much smoother or such, but it does stop the pace dead for a little while. And almost halfway through, it jumps chronologically. I'm not sure it could have been done very differently. Still. It does have an effect. It's disorienting. A few story elements come off as sloppy and convenient, albeit they do clearly fit. Maybe one or two more drafts would have ironed out these problems.This has a lot of deeply disturbing content: not everyone will be able to handle the material. The running time is 115 and a half minutes with end credits, or 109 without. My DVD had no special features, only subtitles. I recommend it to any fan of horror-sci-fi. 8/10

lia00027 Nothing much to say about this movie the reviewers already reviewing nicely about which is the truth. One of a top movie not only I regard it with a good twist of plot but also the acting of the actors are really superb. The magical acting to all of the actors especially Banderas really making me enjoying this movie more and addicted to it, Banderas showing his charismatic appeal yet cruel and weak appearance at the same time while the main actress whom I never heard of before since I never watched any Spanish movie Elena Anaya is an intelligent actress whom showing perfect struggling emotion of what had become her, the other actors are acting nice too. The great brave sex scenes doesn't feel like morally wrong even though it's not suppose to be (I am talking about Banderas and Anaya almost-sex scenes not the rapist Zeca one) and both of them showing physically different passion of what suppose to be the rule of making love which can be comprehended very well by the audiences.Twist plot with good sequences, I seldom found a director that can bring this much sense into a movie but this director Pedro Almodóvar amazes me with his brilliant work. Keep doing this and I'll become his biggest fan. Still cannot give 10 out of 10 since I am a lover of happy-ending movies so this is the best 9 that I can give to value this movie.Appreciate this brilliant movie a lot.