The Skin I Live In

3:21 Jan 23rd, 2012 | 3 notes

(SPOILER FREE)

The Skin I Live In (La Piel Que Habito in spanish) portrays the story of a brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) who, overwhelmed by several events of the past, attempts to bring back the life to the woman he loves even if it seems too late. Robert Ledgard manages to create a synthetic skin type resistant to burns, cuts and insect bites, while Vera Cruz, his test subject, remains locked in a room that isn’t just a room but also, symbolically, the realization of his deepest memories. Pedro Almodóvar, who directed the film, continues placing transsexuality and homosexuality as the centerpiece of his works.

Moreover, during the course of the film, the characters deal with issues relating to bioethics, conventional medicine and aesthetics, plus the image of women in society. While the merit of the film is not due to the performances, what really stands out, as in any Almodóvar movie is the photography, the colors and the script. However, it is interesting to note the shift that the director has decided to take in regard to the development of the story, this time he went away from the suburbs, from filming the everydayness of a middle-class homosexual man (or woman) and shows us the mansion of a wealthy doctor that, in addition, is a selfish, egocentric and maniac person.

I would definitely recommend this film to those who usually find the fun in Almodovar films, full of the cynicism and irony that characterize them so much.