The Skin I Live In | Rotten Tomatoes

The Skin I Live In

R

Now Playing

2h 0m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

81%

Tomatometer

180 Reviews

84%

Audience Score

25,000+ Ratings

Ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in an auto accident, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a skilled plastic surgeon, has tried to develop a new skin that could save the lives of burn victims. Finally, after 12 years, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), who is held prisoner against her will in the doctor's mansion.

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Critics Consensus

The Skin I Live In lacks Almodovar's famously charged romance, replaced with a wonderfully bizarre and unpredictable detour into arthouse ick.

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Gabrielle Rivera

Autostraddle

Banderas settles into the dark character of Dr. Ledgard with a stillness and apparent ease that gave me the chills I left the movie theater wondering if it worth it.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

José Teodoro

Film Comment Magazine

Almodóvar has a body of work as rigorously personal as any out there, and, even with its flaws, he wears this latest Skin rather well.

Nov 5, 2013

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Despite the typically invigorating sense of line and framing, The Skin I Live In withholds the director's customary satisfactions and affirmations. The result is a saga of obsession that, in its saturnine undertone, maintains a hard-to-enjoy integrity.

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Michael Leader

Den of Geek

Alberto Iglesias' astounding score is a diverse work, taking in a wide array of tones and arrangements, shifting from high tension string sections, to electronic backbeats, from guitar drones to moody saxophone.

Rated: 4/5

May 7, 2024

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

The closest Almodóvar has come to making a horror film, The Skin I Live In is a deeply uncomfortable yet fascinating puzzle box of a film.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 27, 2024

Full Review

Martín Rodríguez

En Filme

Almodóvar has treated each of the elements of the film with surgical devotion. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Feb 7, 2023

Full Review

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g j

A deranged and elegant masterpiece. The script, acting and camerawork are all superb. It also has the restraint not to heap on the body horror and let the psychological aspects stand on their own. Even its allusions to Les yeux sans visage are subtle and effective.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/25/24

Full Review

Emilliano Jr S

It has an intriguing story which makes you wonder until the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/19/24

Full Review

sdawd s

Что то странное и необычное!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

Alec B

A strange and disturbing odyssey. The screenplay at times seems like something De Palma would have made back in the 80s, but in Almodóvar's hands the crazier elements are downplayed, which has the effect of making them convincing, or at least making the characters convincing while the narrative takes its most outrageous twists and turns.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Camila R

Despite the majority of positive reviews, the film has some weak points. Firstly, it is unnecessarily long. Secondly, some characters are extremely dull, and even the main characters are lacking emotional depth during important scenes. Overall, it's worth watching if you have the time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

acsdoug D

That was a weird one, even by Almodovar's standards. That didn't keep me from liking it though, despite its rather implausible plot.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/10/23

Full Review

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Pedro Almodóvar

Director

Antonio Banderas

Dr. Robert Ledgard

Elena Anaya

Vera

Marisa Paredes

Marilia

Jan Cornet

Vicente

Roberto Álamo

Zeca

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Synopsis

Ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in an auto accident, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a skilled plastic surgeon, has tried to develop a new skin that could save the lives of burn victims. Finally, after 12 years, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), who is held prisoner against her will in the doctor's mansion.

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Producer: Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García
Screenwriter: Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: El Deseo S.A., FilmNation, Canal+ España
Rating: R (Drug Use|Disturbing Violent Content|Strong Sexuality|Graphic Nudity|Language|Sexual Assault)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Spanish (Spain)
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.2M
Runtime: 2h 0m

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