THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011 - Cert 15)

This film is a rare thing in the current age, a horror film without 'scares'. There's no jumps, no found footage, no gore and no silly masks. That isn't to say though that it didn't scare, unnerve or unsettle. Over a week later, much of it is still haunting me, more so than any Saw or Paranormal Activity.


Antonio Banderas, back taking himself seriously after boosting the pension with Shrek, Spy Kids and Zorro, is Robert Ledgard, famed plastic surgeon. After a nasty car smash scars his wife with horrific burns  he becomes obsessed with developing a synthetic skin more resilient than nature's version that failed his loved one. We meet him in his pristine and idyllic home, nothing out of place at all and nothing out of the ordinary. Except of course for a room where his wife is protected/imprisoned, wearing a protective bodysuit. Ledgard watches here from his bedroom through surveillance equipment, mustering up the courage to go and see her. In terms of plot that's all you're getting. To tell you anymore would give far too much away. Even in the brevity of my synopsis there are things that aren't strictly true, to reveal the ultimate truth would dent you the joy of seeing it all play out.

As I came out of the cinema, my girlfriend said 'I love Pedro Almodovar'. I confessed to having never seen one of his films. She told me I must have done, I told her I really hadn't done. Obviously I was right, I hand't done, but on the evidence of this film, I will certainly now be going through his back catalogue.

It's a beautiful film to look at. There is a clinical appearance to the film, almost sanitised. It's certainly a deliberate and conscious decision by the director, it represents a sort of mirror to Ledgard's personality, a visual allegory. It means that the viewer is to a degree kept at arms length, not involved in the action, a definite spectator - again much like Ledgard himself. The house where the majority of the film is set continues this sterilised atmosphere, nothing seems out of place, perfect but in a Stepford Wives way. not fake, but at the same time definitely not real. When this illusion of perfection is shattered, it heightens the impact, making it all so much more unsettling and disturbing.

Banderas is excellent. It's a monotone performance, but that should not be seen to be a negative. Banderas and Almodovar cleverly give nothing away. The viewer is never really sure whether they should be with him or not, is he a hero, an anti-hero or an out and out baddie. Banderas turns in a performance that is the epitome of keeping cards close to the chest, all is not as it seems, you want it to be as it seems but there is something underneath that could push everything in a different way.

Supporting cast is spearheaded by Elena Anaya who plays the wife. She pulls off a great tormented soul, but her performance becomes all the more impressive as the story unfolds and her character's layers peels away like an onion (yes, it does induce tears) revealing a depth that you just don't expect.

I appreciate that this is a fairly brief review, but I don't really think I can say much more without spoiling the surprises. The film's narrative is thoughtful and intricate, never going where you expect it to, nothing is signposted, the viewer is given the freedom to use their own devices to fill in gaps (not plot holes) and arrive at their own conclusions. Although I pointed out earlier that there aren't any scares, there are a few scenes that are an uncomfortable watch, but these aren't what give the film it's impacting uppercut. It's more the ideas that unsettle, the wallop playing out in my own head rather than on screen. It's easily one of the better releases of this year so don't be put off by the subtitles - pack your glasses and see it. It's top notch.

It'll also make you think twice the next time you are being put under general anaesthetic....

Right, I'm off to order some Almodovar DVDs.