This is certainly a new and inventive bent on the Frankenstein tale. Here, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), plastic surgeon and research scientist, beconmes obsessed with restoring his severely burnt wife through new and illegal medical procedures. His wife dies anyway, though not due to his unorthodox practices, and he is convinced to give up human genetic experimentation at a senior doctor's bidding. Still, when his daughter is assaulted, he decides to take up the knife as retribution this time, starting a long, complicated and obsessive course of treatment on her assailant. The outcome of his established and experimental surgeries hold some surprising results, even to him.
The film is elegantly and artistically designed and shot -- from the artwork on Robert's walls to the view of a mysterious captive on his full wall digital screen, from the captive's form fit, skin tone, body suit which even includes fingers and toes, to the high ceilinged, impeccably furnished living room with chandelier in the form of lipids floating in plasma. His isolated home, which includes a full service medical clinic, his car, his tuxedo are all sublime examples of the most tasteful and stylish of the good life.
Yet, Robert is not enjoying his wealth or status. His demeanor is serious, not brutal, stoic and obvlious to the riches he's accumulated while devoting his life to the last vestiges of fa milial loyalty. He has been damaged, perhaps beyond repair, by the painful experiences of his family, and now he only lives to exact revenge however he can.
This is one eerie, off kilter, mesmerizing film -- one of Almodóvar;s best. It's the most sparse film, with very few characters; humor is more subtle and limited than in most of his films, action and violence are controlled with the director's steel hand, nothing unnecessary or wasted. But the story drills directly to one's core, while springing unexpected twists. There are shades of Pygmalion, the Stockholm Syndrome, and the classic 'Girl Without a Face' (1960) as well as the latest in medical advances. There's lots to gasp at, but also think about. This film efinitely demands a brandy and discussion afterwards long into the night in front of the fireplace while a storm rages outside.
The Skin I Live In
Director/Screenwriter: Pedro Almodóvar
Writer: Novel by Thierry Jonquet
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Roberto Álamo
Time: 117 min,
Rating: R
Opening October 21 at Embarcadero Cinema and Sundance Kabuki in San Francisco
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