{"id":7469,"date":"2019-10-26T22:47:55","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T03:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/?page_id=7469"},"modified":"2021-09-22T04:47:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T09:47:52","slug":"the-skin-i-live-in-la-piel-que-habito-2011review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/retromaggedon.com\/index.php\/movie-reviews\/the-skin-i-live-in-la-piel-que-habito-2011review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Skin I Live In [La Piel Que Habito] (2011)Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Skin I Live In [La Piel Que Habito] (2011)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~Review by Grawlix (October 2019)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t remember exactly when or how I first became aware of Pedro Almod\u00f3var\u2019s The Skin I Live In<\/em>, but I do remember what drew me to it. Almod\u00f3var himself described the film as “a horror story without screams or frights”, and multiple outlets claimed that it was totally bloodless. The bloodless part turned out to be not, strictly speaking, accurate, but for a movie about an obsessive (some might call him crazed) surgeon, it\u2019s about as bloodless as it could be. At a time when theaters were filled with Hostel<\/em> and Saw<\/em> sequels, the idea of a more subtle horror film was something I was keen to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antonio Banderas plays Robert Ledgard, a brilliant, but somewhat reclusive private surgeon who manages to invent a new, artificial skin called Gal. Being resistant to burns and insect bites, Gal seems capable of revolutionizing modern medicine. But when questioned by a colleague at a symposium, Ledgard reveals in confidence that Gal was developed partially through the use of human genetic material. As this is a severe breach of medical ethics, not to mention the law, it precludes Gal from going into production and would cost Ledgard his license and reputation (which apparently already has a blemish or two) if the truth were ever revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, the human component to the Gal formula is only the second biggest secret Ledgard is keeping. The first is that his primary experimental subject is a woman that he has been holding captive in a monitored room in his villa for several years. The woman is named Vera (Elena Anaya), and she and Robert share an unusual, almost Stockholm Syndrome-esque relationship. Oh, but the movie is just getting started. It is revealed that Robert has progressively been surgically molding Vera to resemble his late wife, who was burned horribly in an auto accident and later committed suicide. Then, the criminal son of Robert\u2019s housekeeper (and confidant) appears, wanting some free, identity changing surgery. This ends in some violence (and some unexpected revelations as to their relationships).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us to the halfway point where the movie detours into an extended flashback sequence. At first seemingly having nothing to do with the plot, it culminates in a twist that forces the viewer to reevaluate everything that has happened up to that point. In other words, it\u2019s the best kind of twist. But, as intriguing as the twist itself is, it does manage to undermine some of the character development of the first half of the film, with motivations previously portrayed as rationally aberrant now seeming more inscrutable. What\u2019s more, there is a subtle change in narrative focus as the story returns to the present day. It\u2019s not a Psycho<\/em> level swerve, but it is a rather unexpected abdication of some of its narrative capital. From there, the movie practically sprints to the finish line. Having put some very interesting ideas into play, it spends frustratingly little time on their implications before ending fairly abruptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is totally Banderas\u2019s movie and his performance is definitely a highlight. Not only is it something of a novelty to watch him acting in his native Spanish, but his stoic and deadpan portrayal of Ledgard is a model of smoldering restraint. Hard to believe this is the same guy who voices Puss in Boots. Ledgard is clearly a man capable of anything while revealing nothing, and as the movie goes on, the rabbit hole that is his life and his work (and his pathology) ends up going very deep indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Skin I Live In<\/em> owes a significant debt to 1960\u2019s French classic Eyes Without a Face<\/em>. The obsessive surgeon with a laboratory built into his home, the housekeeper\/accomplice, the cutting edge (no pun intended) skin grafting techniques are all out of the latter film\u2019s playbook. Based on initial impressions, I was afraid that this would end up merely being a thinly disguised remake. As it turns out, there was no reason to worry. The Skin I Live In<\/em> begins in familiar territory, but in many ways the early stages are a red herring as the movie\u2019s true intentions end up lying in a much different realm. It turned out to be a little disappointing for me as I was very much invested in some of the early developments before they started falling by the wayside amid the picture\u2019s multiple twists and turns, but ultimately I was glad that it decided to eschew the safe route to tell a more unorthodox story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been trying very hard to avoid spoilers in this review. Though this sentiment applied to pretty much everything I\u2019ve watched, for this film in particular I\u2019d advise going in knowing as little about the story as possible but also be sure to keep an open mind. The Skin I Live In<\/em> takes a lot of turns with its story, and while I didn\u2019t fully agree with all of them, I appreciate its willingness to go off the beaten path all the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Score: B+<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its follow through doesn\u2019t quite match some of its build up, but The Skin I Live In<\/em> nevertheless makes interesting decisions that are bound to start conversations after it\u2019s over. It dares to be different which, let\u2019s face it, is an uncommon quality in film these days.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trailer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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