The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodovar, 2011)

[Michael]

Thinking there was a thread for Pedro Almodovar's latest film, I searched for it and was surprised to find the result coming up zero.

For me, it's the film of 2011. The Skin I Live In is so ravishingly beautiful and baroque - with its brilliantly layered flashbacks and Almodovar's usual bonkers stew of vanished relatives, gender bending, kidnapping, and rape. What set it apart from Almodovar's recent works is its sublimely gothic atmosphere - the haunted, labyrinthine castle being one of the examples. After a hiccup with Broken Embraces, Almodovar redeemed himself with this masterwork. What an amazing storyteller Almodovar is.

[LQ]

Thanks for making a thread for it, Michael! I'm getting giddy about it all over again. While it might not be my Movie of 2011, it's far and away the most entertaining. Its vividly exciting to watch, because even though you go in expecting the plot to reveal itself in typical Almodovarian Russian-doll format, there is absolutely no way to foresee what lies around the bend...and when it dawns on you your brain can't help but do mental summersaults, "huh, Wha!? OH DAYUM.".

I can just imagine Almodovar sitting primly somewhere, examining his nails nonchalantly, with a little sly smile threatening at the left-cranny of his mouth. He's really topped himself. The story is ridiculous, ravishing, engrossing and outrageous, and just thinking about it has left me an idiot babbling all over this thread.

(I loved the clinical, touch-of-Cronenberg palate, too.)

[triodelover]

For me, it's the film of 2011. The Skin I Live In is so ravishingly beautiful and baroque - with its brilliantly layered flashbacks and Almodovar's usual bonkers stew of vanished relatives, gender bending, kidnapping, and rape. What set it apart from Almodovar's recent works is its sublimely gothic atmosphere - the haunted, labyrinthine castle being one of the examples. After a hiccup with Broken Embraces, Almodovar redeemed himself with this masterwork.

Saw this the other evening for the first time. I can't but agree with all you've said. It was a visual feast and another Almodovar tale that left me wide-eyed every time the penny dropped - and it does several times during the course of the film. It's also more than a little discomfiting. On that score I agree with Ebert. One of the things that Almodovar handles better than any other contemporary director in my experience is the use of flashbacks. You never wonder where you are in the narrative, unlike some other efforts. (Dahan's La Vie en Rose comes immediately to mind, thought there are others.)

Apparently the UK Blu has forced subs but otherwise the screen grabs look stunning. The US Blu out from Sony on 6 March with a $45.99 MSRP. Anyone know what justifies that?

[Matt]

I really liked it, but I almost wish that it had ended with the scene where

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Vera sits on Robert's lap after their relationship is challenged by Fulgencio. Having them end up a happy couple would have been a much more radical ending than the more conventional revenge denouement, but I do like the very last scene ("It's me, Vicente.") and its implication of unconditional love and acceptance.

I read a short article where Almodovar said he may work on a more popular comedy next (possibly with Javier Camara) after having made so many chilly movies recently. I'm eager for that. As much as I have admired his three most recent films, they're hard to love and I long for something more emotionally rich (but still somewhat dark) like Talk to Her or The Flower of My Secret, an underrated film. Volver, I suppose, fits that description, but I did not care for it much, even considering the presence of old time favorites Carmen Maura and Chus Lampreave.

[triodelover]

I really liked it, but I almost wish that it had ended with the scene where

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Vera sits on Robert's lap after their relationship is challenged by Fulgencio. Having them end up a happy couple would have been a much more radical ending than the more conventional revenge denouement, but I do like the very last scene ("It's me, Vicente.") and its implication of unconditional love and acceptance.

I understand your desire but:

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Robert's motives for Vera's existence don't exactly add up to "happy couple". I think it's pretty hard to get "happily ever after" out of a misplaced revenge for Norma, vindication over Gal and Zeca and an almost Mengele-like pursuit of some fairly bizarre and unethical research goals. It seems that Robert must pay some price for these and Vera/Vicente get an option on redemption.

The ending as is is fairly radical, at least the ultimate scene.

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I'm not sure you can read the ending that exists solely as a conventional revenge denouement - or at least it's not the only way to read it. I think Vera's emotions are truly in conflict when it comes to Robert and if it were possible to regain something of Vicente without killing Robert and Marilia, Vera might well choose that route. After all, at the time she kills the pair in order to escape, she has no idea that acceptance awaits her. She can't recover what Robert stole and her plush prison is the only "safe" existence she knows. She's taking an enormous risk that should it turn out differently from her hopes leaves her no fallback.

[mfunk9786]

My desire for the ending would have required more development early on:

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I would have probably made Vicente's flirtation with his lesbian coworker less flippant and more mutually sincere and longing, and then included an epilogue in which they were now able to be with one another from now on, being the strange icing on the cake of Vicente's nightmarish experience.

But I'm just an artless American slob, and Almovodar just happens to be one of the best directors of all time. This film's pretty perfect as is, against all the odds stacked up against it due to the high concept premise.

[triodelover]

My desire for the ending would have required more development early on:

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I would have probably made Vicente's flirtation with his lesbian coworker less flippant and more mutually sincere and longing, and then included an epilogue in which they were now able to be with one another from now on, being the strange icing on the cake of Vicente's nightmarish experience.

I think that's at least suggested, but one of the things the ending leaves...ahem, hanging is

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how Vera/Vicente will work out where she stands emotionally and sexually. Looking at Almodovar's previous work, i think this ambiguity is intentional.

But I'm just an artless American slob, and Almovodar just happens to be one of the best directors of all time. This film's pretty perfect as is, against all the odds stacked up against it due to the high concept premise.

I'm a huge Almodovar fan, as is my wife, but both of us were a little uncertain about this one going in based on what we knew about the film's premise. When we get to the huge OMG! moment, I still had a somewhat sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach (well, actually a tad lower) about the film. It was Almodovar's mastery after we are let in on the macabre secret that made the film great.

[mfunk9786]

Exactly. The film lost me as soon as that single word was uttered, but proceeded to win me back and then some. It's really an incredible feat.

[triodelover]

Exactly. The film lost me as soon as that single word was uttered, but proceeded to win me back and then some. It's really an incredible feat.

It was a little worse at our place due to my uncanny ability to program the wrong film for the occasion. We watched the film over our New year's Day dinner. It's really not dining fare.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I'd agree with everyone else's praise here. This was one of the most delightful film experiences of the year for me. The story was pulled off so well by just Banderas' performance that I loved it, but the already mentioned baroqueness and haunted, gothic atmosphere were the perfect settings for such a tabloid-like story. Just the craziness of the story concocted by Almodovar won me over, but its visual beauty and emotional tone throughout fascinated me. After all the invocations of Franju, I'd expected something different with a typical Banderas performance. (Thank god I didn't read any spoilers.) That it went above and beyond was a pure joy, but the resolution was quite satisfactory. As much as I think that all the acting was excellent, I'm still incredibly impressed by Banderas. I'd watch this again just for his acting because I thought it was rivetting. He played Robert perfectly. It's been a few weeks since I watched the film, but I can't forget him. I hadn't expected him to be so good. I'm still delighted by how everything turned out. I can't wait to watch it again.

[karmajuice]

I can only heap more praise onto the pile, because this was probably my favorite film of 2011. Everyone is spot-on about the film's visual design and pace and story, but I'd also like to say that I was profoundly moved by the film. I found it every bit as emotionally satisfying as a film like Talk to Her, even with its absurdly lurid genre premise. I am astounded by Almodovar's ability to juggle restraint and excess so effortlessly. I'd like to expound on that, as well as Matt's opinion on the ending; someone I talked to about the film had pretty much the same idea regarding the ending, so I'll reiterate my discussion with them below.

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There is a moment in the revenge scene which makes the extant ending seem inevitable. When Vera/Vicente returns to the room with the gun and lube, just before Banderas realizes what's going on, we see how eager he is. And that eagerness brought the perversity of what was going on into sharp perspective for me, this situation which hearkens back to the misogynistic obsessions in Vertigo and Eyes Without a Face, but which takes them to another level of cruelty and self-delusion. What I found most touching about the film is how Vera/Vicente comes to accept the transformation which has been forced upon him (giving the title greater resonance), how he even discovers himself and improves himself in these conditions, and how he still yearns for what he has lost -- namely his freedom and a home where people love him. Reducing this to a case of Stockholm syndrome would be a disservice to Vera's/Vicente's character and the thematic complexities of the film.

Perhaps what I admire most about the film is its ethical standpoint and how it forces us to rethink certain expectations and cliches. We start out hating Vicente as a man; his encounter with Banderas' daughter is a mistake on his part, but one steeped in unfortunate circumstances, making it difficult to point fingers. The modern and feminist impulse is to demonize him regardless, but the film forces us to reconsider this assumption when he is kidnapped (a development we may initially celebrate), given a forced sex change (an act of literal castration and symbolic rape), and imprisoned and experimented on against his will. Later he is literally raped. He quickly becomes the victim and the heart of the film, a development which breeds enough questions and ideas that I'd need a dissertation to elaborate on them all. But the notion of female victimization is challenged, in particular the misogynistic notion that women must be victims and the misandrist notion that men are always tormentors -- and in true cinematic tradition, Vicente must become a woman to become a victim. Almodovar challenges both traditional and feminist preconceptions about rape and victimization; it's a fascinating and confrontational approach to the subject matter, and I really admire it.

Ultimately, it's Vicente and his suffering, poise, and grace which elevates what should be a ridiculous story to a sublime exploration of pain, personal identity, family, love, loss, and obsession.

(Also, I'm hesitant to use "he" to refer to Vicente, but I'm not sure how to approach that matter; Vicente clearly accepts the change he's experienced, but I believe he still identifies strongly with his former self and the life he had. This change did not come about willingly.)

It also doesn't hurt that I am utterly in love with Elena Anaya, and have been for ages. This film tried to make that love as weird as possible, but my affection remains unaffected.

[triodelover]

Something else I thought about the other evening after the posts here was the masterful job of casting - not so much in the acting (though it it was pretty much top drawer across the board) - but

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in the attention paid to the physical aspect of casting Vicente and Vera. Cast the wrong body types in either role and no matter how good the acting the viewer would spend the rest of the film thinking, "You want me to believe what?!" But the physical similarities in the build of Jan Cornet and Elena Anaya had me spending about 5 seconds on the "Is this possible?" question. Considering the film treads into White Queen territory in that we're asked to believe six impossible things before breakfast, avoiding that trap was no small feat.

[mfunk9786]

It also doesn't hurt that I am utterly in love with Elena Anaya, and have been for ages. This film tried to make that love as weird as possible, but my affection remains unaffected.

On that note, is Room in Rome a good film or just gussied up lesbian porn? I uh... want to watch it. And probably will anyway, but still.

[tavernier]

It doesn't matter if Room in Rome is any good...just watch it.

[mfunk9786]

It's all about context, man. In other words: Whether I should watch it with the wife or without

[karmajuice]

I desperately want to see Room in Rome, and I'd recommend it without having seen it. I adore Medem's Sex and Lucia, and it's one of the few convincing depictions of sexuality I've seen onscreen. It's genuinely erotic, sincere in its approach to sexuality, and emotionally honest.

[mfunk9786]

Emotionally honest?! Feh, I'll just stick to Max Hardcore

[Lighthouse]

Julio Medem is (or maybe was) one of the great directors of the last 20 years. But Room In Rome is a somehow slight and comparatively disappointing film. It does not even really work as an erotic film. His previous film Caotica Ana was also not on the level of his earlier stuff, but at least not as superficial as Room in Rome.
Maybe a second watch will improve both, maybe not.

But for everyone who likes Lucia and the Sex I can easily recommend all of his earlier films. Especially Tierra, which is his masterpiece imo. And the beautiful Lovers of the Arctic Circle and The Red Squirrel. His debut Vacas suffers a bit form the fact that it wasn't completed and the last time line was completely dropped.

For me, it's the film of 2011. The Skin I Live In is so ravishingly beautiful and baroque - with its brilliantly layered flashbacks and Almodovar's usual bonkers stew of vanished relatives, gender bending, kidnapping, and rape. What set it apart from Almodovar's recent works is its sublimely gothic atmosphere - the haunted, labyrinthine castle being one of the examples. After a hiccup with Broken Embraces, Almodovar redeemed himself with this masterwork.

For me the other way round. Broken Embraces is another masterpiece, while The Skin I Live in doesn't doesn't breathe life into the clever construction.

[stroszeck]

Really surprised there hasn't been much more discussion about this one after I saw it several months back. Almodovar is, in my opinion, near the tops of his game. Of course it doesn't quick pack the emotional, gutteral punches of his other works, but I don't think thats what he was going for. The comparisons I have seen, Eyes Without A Face meets Douglas Sirk are pretty much on par with a decent description of what this thing is. Its a bold narrative and once again Almodovar wraps melodrama and lurid storytelling into what amounts to a horror movie. I really felt this was totally a genre film and a complete departure for him, as I don't recall him making a film with a Frankenstein-esque quality. That being said, the major gripe I had was with the ending credits and that cheesy DNA helix floating around the black screen which has nothing to do with anything, but thats just the scientist in me being a bitch. Anyways for a few days later I thought about what whether an American remake of this would even be possible and finally decided, yes, and cast Daniel Day Lewis, Natalie Portman, Vanessa Redgrave and Gary Oldman (as the surgeon's "buddy") and was content that it would be made watered down/neutered for the American masses. (I wouldn't actually mind seeing that...)

[CSM126]

But that DNA makes for a lovely parallel to the diamonds in the credits of Sirk's Imitation of Life.

[domino harvey]

I went in blind and I think one of the real pleasures of Almodovar's film is how the movie unfolds in a series of surprises. Not twists, which imply some sort of notion of the narrative path, but surprises: in a world of familiar plots and executions, here's a bizarre, wonderful, perverse, disturbing, beautiful picture that left me exasperated and fascinated as it played out because above all else I had no idea where it could possibly be going. And once everything is tied together in that fierce wallop of a reveal three quarters into the film, the film is certainly no less unsettling for learning where it's been and going. The film taps into the same elemental terrors of Sam Wood's Kings Row (an obvious yet overlooked influence) while being terribly original in its (r)evolving psychosexual concerns. I've seen nearly all of Almodovar's films, and while he's a very consistent auteur (Few of his films are great but most are at the very least still pretty good), I don't think he's never made a film with quite the unnerving power of the Skin I Live In.

[R0lf]

I noticed on further viewing that

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at the end of the second rape scene the singers voice from the party is displaced on the soundtrack with the voice of the daughter when her mother commits suicide.

[manicsounds]

In addition to being one of the best films I've seen recently, the 1 hour Q&A with Almodovar in English is one of the best reasons to get the US version. Hilarious, informative, and awesome, even in his broken English.

[samantha]

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I am wondering why Robert decides not just to take revenge through castrating Vincent. Instead, he comtinues his act until he makes a beautiful woman out of Vincent- does anyone know what could be the motivation of Robert to act like this? I mean, he wanted to test the artificial skin, ok. But why does he convert Vincent into a beautiful woman and why does he give the person he supposely hates the face of his beloved wife?

[lady wakasa]

Um, spoiler tags? Revealing that's a little unfair to anyone who han't seen the film.

Your question:

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But why does he convert Vincent into a beautiful woman and why does he give the person he supposely hates the face of his beloved wife?

But wouldn't that be the worse punishment?

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To pay for your sin by becoming part of the family that you destroyed? To have to face what you did every day, no way to escape? That seems rather effectively horrific, from where I sit.