The Skin I Live In
Review by Anthony Morris
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The Skin I Live In
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The Skin I Live In is a bit of a tricky one, because there's at least one major twist that going in you'd rather not know about.
So
let's just say plastic surgeon Robert (Antonio Banderas) is working on
developing an artificial skin that will be impervious to harm, and he
seems to be testing it on a beautiful woman (Elena Anaya) who he's
keeping prisoner in his mansion.
There's clearly a
relationship between the two, but it's hard to figure out exactly what
: is she his wife recovering from an accident, or just someone who
reminds him of her. What happened to their daughter? What
about the thuggish son of his house-keeper? What happened all those
years ago that seems to haunt Robert still? Pedro
Almodovar’s latest film plays the various mysteries surprisingly
straight, creating a film that, while about a number of lurid
mysteries, treats them relatively matter-of-fact. Fans of
his previous, camper films may be somewhat put-off by this new-found
restraint, and it’s not impossible that a more over-the-top approach
may have suited the somewhat pulpy material better. But the icy chill
here has its own benefits, and Banderas is great as a man wound down to
tight it’s obvious he’s about to crack. It’s not exactly Hitchcockian, but that’s as good a guide as any – and who doesn’t like a good surprise twist anyway?
4 out
of 5
The Skin I Live In
Australian release: 26th December,
2011
Official
Site: The Skin I Live In
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Roberto Álamo
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
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