A couple of times recently at meetings where everyone had to introduce themselves, people were asked to name their favourite film, and my answer was "something by Pedro Almodóvar", so I was pleased to be able to watch a new one, The Skin I Live In. It is a very good film, and certainly held my attention, though it is also quite disturbing.
It is very inventive, with scenarios which seem scarcely credible. If someone else had made the same plot it might have ended up feeling like a trashy shock B-movie, but in his hands it is surprisingly believable, and very well-made. The film contains very disturbing scenes, but unusual aspects mean that the director is finding a new way of looking at events. The characters include a doctor who is a very accomplished surgeon but uses his talents in unusual ways.
The star Elena Anaya, who had a lesser role in an earlier Almodóvar film, has been given much more prominence this time, and her lead role is well-deserved. She is very beautiful, which is a necessary part of the role due to the unusual story. No doubt her career will be given a boost in the same way that Penélope Cruz benefited from her work with the director. It is also the first film Antonio Banderas has made with Almodóvar for many years; after Almodóvar launched him in films, he has come back from Hollywood to work with him again, and evidently they can still work well together.
Is it my favourite film? Well no, although I don't know which individual one would be, it's a difficult question...
Pete S
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