The Skin I Live In (2011)
"La piel que habito" (original title)

A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Agustín Almodóvar (collaboration), Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay),

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 38 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Robert Ledgard
Elena Anaya	...	Vera Cruz
Marisa Paredes	...	Marilia
Jan Cornet	...	Vicente
Roberto Álamo	...	Zeca
Eduard Fernández	...	Fulgencio
José Luis Gómez	...	Presidente del Instituto de Biotecnología
Blanca Suárez	...	Norma Ledgard
Susi Sánchez	...	Madre de Vicente
Bárbara Lennie	...	Cristina
Fernando Cayo	...	Médico
Chema Ruiz	...	Policía
Buika	...	Cantante (as Concha Buika)
Ana Mena	...	Norma joven
Teresa Manresa	...	Casilda Efraiz

Storyline

In honor of his late wife who died in a flaming car accident, scientist, Dr. Robert Ledgard, is trying to synthesize the perfect skin which can withstand burns, cuts or any other kind of damage. As he gets closer to perfecting this skin on his flawless patient, the scientific community starts growing skeptical and his past is revealed that shows how his patient is closely linked to tragic events he would like to forget.

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Plot Keywords:

skin | plastic surgeon | key | suicide | revenge | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content including sexual assault, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [United Kingdom] Official Facebook [United States]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

2 September 2011 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Koža u kojoj živim

Filming Locations:

A Estrada, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$223,119 (USA) (14 October 2011)

Gross:

$3,185,193 (USA) (23 March 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Haze Entertainment, Canal+ España, El Deseo D.A. S.L.U.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The man that goes to the dress shop to bring his wife's garments, is Agustín Almodóvar, producer of the film and brother of Pedro Almodóvar.

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Goofs

When Doctor Robert Ledgard and his colleague are preparing themselves for the surgery they wear sterile gloves and then tie each other clothes from the back, that is considered non sterile, so they will contaminate the surgery.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marilia: [to servant] Help me with the dumbwaiter.

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Connections

References Doctor X (1932)

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Soundtracks

"Por el amor de amar"
(versión brasileña)
Written by Jean Manzon and José Toledo
Performed by Ana Mena

User Reviews

A tour de force, as Almodóvar plunges into new philosophical depths

In his latest film Almodóvar takes a qualitative jump into new philosophical depths. His usual reflections on the nature of relationships and the consequence of one's actions take on a well- defined shape and advance forward with self-assurance.

The order in which the events of the story are told is a cunning device that allows the director to make us reflect on how superficially - indeed, skin-deep - we perceive reality and how quick we are to judge first impressions and jump to conclusions. What we first perceive one way, those initial scenes that slightly baffle us but which we nevertheless do not hesitate to judge in a specific way, take on a completely new meaning when the story pauses to take us back into the past in order to tell us about an important series of events that happened at the time which bear a direct relation to present events. The new light that is shed on the present changes completely our perception of the story as we had first witnessed it, which is a humbling experience. We are then taken back again to the present and continue watching the rest of the film, but with this completely new understanding of the real underlying motivations for the characters' actions. It is at this point that through a slight thriller-style twist in the plot the story takes on a Shakespearean dimension as it delivers its powerful humanist lesson that vengeance begets vengeance.

Food for thought, in fact enough food to last you days and feed other people, as you are left on the one hand wondering at the concept of skin: what we actually desire when we desire someone, whether all desire is skin-deep, whether the skin does not allow us to see the person behind. And on the other hand you are left with the reflection on how the road of vengeance leads only to self-destruction. When a film leaves you pondering so deeply, I can only conclude it is a great film.