[7.75/10] La piel que habito a.k.a. The Skin I Live In (2011)

La piel que habito

a.k.a.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Brief review: Worldwide renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is known for taking on difficult and controversial subject matters dealing with sexuality, and his latest project "The Skin I Live In" is no exception. This modern-day Frankenstein story may not be as emotionally involving as some of director's previous efforts, but it's a bizarrely unique and wonderfully twisted cinematic experience full of many twists and turns, that is as stunning as it's disturbing, and as compelling as it's shocking. At first, the narrative feels incoherent and a often messy, but that's exactly what Almodóvar has intended, because at the end everything comes into place so perfectly, you can't help but being impressed by the structure of the whole story and the way that it's being presented. Pedro Almodóvar's masterful direction and clever ideas compliment the magnificent storytelling and sophisticated visuals, and the end result is rather satisfying. Antonio Banderas delivers a fantastic performance as the 'mad scientist', obsessed by his disturbing creation, the stunningly beautiful Elena Anaya is absolutely mesmerizing in her role as Vera - the abused muse of Dr. Robert Ledgard, and the supporting cast all do an incredible job in portraying their brilliantly-written characters.

Overall summary: While definitely not one of Pedro Almodóvar's strongest and most accomplished achievements, "The Skin I Live In" is a strangely absorbing, subtly shocking and perversely unique arthouse drama, that goes where not many other films would dare to go.