Jackson Booth-Millard
I remember seeing the poster or DVD cover for this Spanish film, as I remembered the lead actor next to the woman with some kind of masking on her face, it definitely sounded intriguing from the description I read, directed by Pedro Almodóvar (All About My Mother, Volver, Talk to Her). Basically successful plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) was cultivating an artificial skin resistant to burns and insect bites, but the board forbid him from continuing his research after it was discovered he had been conducting illegal transgenic experiments. At his secluded estate, Ledgard is keeping a beautiful young woman named Vera (Elena Anaya) captive, with the help of his servant Marilia (Marisa Paredes), following his suspension, he asks Marilia to dismiss the other servants. While Robert is out, Marilia's son Zeca (Roberto Álamo) has committed a robbery and asks his mother to hide him for a few days. He sees Vera on security camera screens and demands to see her, Marilia refuses to let him stay, so he blinds and gags her and then rapes Vera, Robert arrives and kills Zeca. While Robert disposes of Zeca's body, Marilia reveals to Vera that she is the both Zeca and Robert's mother, by different men, she never told them, Robert was adopted by Marilia's employers, but ultimately raised by her. In flashback, while Robert went to medical school and married a woman named Gal, Zeca lived in the streets and smuggled drugs, years later he returned, and he and Gal ran off together. They were involved in terrible a car crash which left Gal badly burnt, thereafter she lived in total darkness with no mirrors, it is when she accidentally catches her reflection in a window that she is traumatised by the sight of herself, Gal jumped to her death. In the present, Robert returns and spends the night with Vera. Robert dreams of a night six years ago at a wedding, where he finds his daughter Norma (Blanca Suárez) unconscious on the ground. Norma had been rendered mentally unstable and was taking medication for psychosis, after witnessing her mother's suicide, she comes to believe she has been raped, develops a fear of all men and spends eight years in a mental health facility, eventually killing herself in the same manner of her mother. Vera also dreams about the events of this night, where Vicente (Jan Cornet), a young man who works in the dress shop, crashed the wedding and meets Norma, he is under the influence of drugs, and walks with Norma in the garden. Norma starts removing her clothing, Vincente kisses and compliments her, he is on top of her, she suddenly starts repeating "no, no, no" and is screaming, she bites his hand, he is surprised and slaps her, knocking her unconscious, he runs away, confused and nervous, before Robert arrives. Robert tracks down Vicente, kidnaps him, and subjects him to sex reassignment surgery, over six years, Robert physically transforms Vincente into a replica of his late wife, and calls her Vera, during this time Vincente struggles to remain sane and cling to the core of his true identity. After being absent for four years, Marilia returned home to Robert's house to look after Vera (Vincente), who reveals to her that she has been held captive for the last six years. Back in the present, Marilia does not trust Vera, so she is dismayed after finding out about Robert's new relationship with her. Fulgencio (Eduard Fernández), one of Robert's colleagues, reads a newspaper article about the missing Vicente and recognises him as one of their sex change patients. Fulgencio accuses Robert of falsifying Vincente consent for a sex reassignment surgery and of experimenting on him, but Vera arrives to support Robert, asserting his willing participation. During the night, Robert and Vera try to have sex, but Vera tells him she is still sore after being raped, so suggests getting some lubricant, but comes back with a gun and kills Robert and Marilia. Freed from captivity, Vincente (Vera) returns to his mother's dress shop for the first time since being kidnapped. He tearfully tells his lesbian ex-colleague Cristina (Bárbara Lennie), whom Vincente loved six years ago, about the kidnapping, forced sex change and the murders, then his mother (Susi Sanchez) enters, and Vincente says quietly "I am Vincente". Banderas is a dangerously driven scientist but almost evokes some sympathy, Anaya is sultry and marvellously mysterious, it is a very similar feel to the French film Eyes without a Face, it definitely keeps you going with all the surreal and shocking twists and turns along the way, it is a perverse and provocative exploration of obsession, desire and identity, a strange but fascinating psychological thriller. It won the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Very good!
Rickting
It's very difficult to sum up The Skin I Live In without giving away the twists and turns of its mind-blowing plot. My advice is to go in without any knowledge of the story and prepare to be shocked, disturbed, appalled, spellbound and gob-smacked. If you thought Talk to Her was disturbing, wait until you see this. Pedro Almodovar has created another layered, meticulously crafted film full of complex themes, interesting characters and shocks. The film is beautifully directed, with many frames representing a beautifully composed painting. This movie represents an auteur at the height of his powers. This movie hasn't got much violence. It hasn't got a lot of screaming. It has no scares. It has no suspense set-pieces or jumpy moments. It isn't even particularly atmospheric in the horror movie sense. But it will leave you traumatized. This is, if considered a horror film despite this (Which I do since it makes 90% of other horror movies look like Thomas the Tank Engine and I am not joking), a truly horrifying experience you will never forget. While a very clever movie, it's not exactly enjoyable to watch and at times feels muddled and confused in the way it conveys its messages. Also, some of the time the characters feel a bit underdeveloped and it's not quite as cleverly constructed as Talk to Her. Still, this is a very impressive work, although it will be too much for some to stomach.8/10
