The Skin I Live In

Pedro Almodóvar is a talented director no doubt, but so much so that he’s now allowed to refer to himself in the first person? (as he does in the opening credits of his latest film The Skin I Live In). That’s some stones, Pedro. Still, he no doubt feels he deserves it for giving us some royal entertainment over the past 25 or so years with a number of cracking features. However, I’ve always felt with Almodóvar that the decent performances he gets from his actors and the memorable story lines he comes up with gloss over his rather standard direction behind the camera. The Skin I Live In doesn’t disprove this fact. Teaming up with his old mucker Antonio Banderas for the first time in over 20 years, Almodóvar’s latest tells the story of Ledgard (Banderas), a brilliant but controversial plastic surgeon. Told partly in flashback Ledgard’s had a troubled life, but I won’t go into any further detail as the film is designed in such a way that little bits of info are dropped into the screenplay scene by scene and to know anything beforehand would dilute the mystery. What I can say though is that, even for Almodóvar, this film is completely bonkers. Things are odd enough for the first thirty minutes, but then it really start to go nuts leading up to the films astonishing mid-point twist. The slow realisation of what you’re seeing is one of the film high points of the year. Understandably, the film tails off during its second half, but it’s a sign that the abrupt finish that it has frustrates not only due to its suddenness, but also due to the fact you want to see more. You’ll have great fun explaining the story line to your work colleagues the next day though. I don’t want to say much more as this really is one to see for yourself. However, if you’re a fan of Almodóvar and are wondering if this is a change of direction from him, don’t worry as, yes, this is heavily centred around family relationships and all of his usual calling cards are present and correct. Those being (thanks to the MPAA) “ disturbing violent content including sexual assault, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use and strong language”. Enjoy!

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Unless you’ve read the source novel (Mygale), prepare yourself for a major shock as you enjoy, in the words of the man himself, “a horror story without screams or frights”. Rating: 7/10.