The Skin I Live In

At some point in a director's career, they have to do a film outside of their comfort zone. For example, a director famed for his blood-soaked crime dramas does something more family friendly. (Likewise, a director known for lighter fare goes down a darker route.) It's bound to happen at some point.

Pedro Almodovar has a career peppered with brightly colored melodramas about women and the people they encounter. Granted, a majority of them have dark themes but either way, they end on a positive (albeit bittersweet) note. It would only be a matter of time before he went down a much more darker road.

He did that in the form of The Skin I Live In. It's as far from the multi-colored romps he's associated with as possible. (It still revolves around a woman though.) And like his earlier films, Almodovar isn't afraid to be daring.

Now the influences for this film are clear if you've seen said influences. The main one is Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face, obvious since both films focus on a surgeon performing disturbing surgeries for his own personal gain. The other is Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, also obvious since the woman is told to have a uncanny resemblance to the surgeon's dead wife.

Long story short, The Skin I Live In is a brilliant film. It's one of those films that'll stick in your mind once it's over. (The provocative nature of it practically ensures that.) If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you do.

My Rating: *****