The Skin I Live In

An exploitation horror premise in the hands of an arthouse director. The result is a remarkable film that took me from mild cringe to absolute enthusiasm. Beautifully shot, very smart in the way it doses the information (for a moment I was afraid that what was clear already from the middle of the movie would be revealed as a shocking twist by the end, but Almodóvar fortunately doesn’t underestimate his audience), and arousing a whole range of emotions. It’s been long since I saw a film where genres alternate and blend so smoothly and lightly. From The Skin I Live In you could easily cut a trailer for horror, comedy, drama, science fiction and even a romantic film, and I’m sure it won’t take long for something like that to appear on YouTube. PS: If you want to watch an underground horror take of the same premise, have a go at Victim, but not before watching The Skin I Live In, otherwise you’ll ruin the experience). (09/09/2011)

A very wacky, but at the same time very impressive, purely original affair. A bizarre story complemented by an even more bizarre Banderas pederast who is wonderfully demonic in his role (though still compared to the likes of Hannibal...). The visual composition is certainly worth mentioning among the individual details, and it looks restrained and aesthetic, which contrasts greatly with the overall story, to which such adjectives would not fit too well. Still, it cannot be denied that it has a solid structure, a strong directorial signature, and a very specific atmosphere, which is really very unusual and takes the whole film to a higher level of originality and perhaps even a certain uniqueness compared to other productions. And from this point on, I'm simply not going to use the phrase lightly: "I've been a bit out of my skin lately" :)) (01/10/2012)

I used to love Pedro Almodóvar's work. Nowadays my interest in his films has waned somewhat, but I do occasionally watch something. The Skin I Live In has a well-written script, which puts the film on par with Almodóvar's best work. However, the subject matter is so controversial and the central idea so difficult for me to stomach that I can hardly imagine myself ever resorting to watching it again in the future. (75%) (01/08/2021)

The psychologically powerful and excitably deviant theme of The Skin I Live In is rendered as emotionless, noble cinematic art. It shocks the viewers, but they are unable to relate to the story and they never become mentally unsettled by the film. What is left is “only” enthusiasm for admirable filmmaking perfectionism and elegance. Antonio Banderas is brilliant as a dark doctor without a pinch of medical or human ethics, and Elena Anaya is beautiful. The Skin I Live In is a remarkable and in some ways exceptional work. (10/16/2011)

Another Pedro gender transgression permeated with distilled melodrama and flamboyant visual pose. I was bored to death with one of his films for the first time and left with the hollow feeling that, after excellent self-reflection in the form of Broken Embraces, Almodóvar once again falls into his obsession with empty poses and fetishes, which are interesting in and of themselves, but in terms of any reflection they are mined only by their flamboyant otherness and exaggeration. I understand that this theatrical image of a man's desire for a non-existent perfect body and the flow of sexual desire may theoretically be impressive, but it completely missed the mark for me. (07/04/2011)