The Skin I Live In | Rotten Tomatoes

The Skin I Live In

R

Now Playing

2 hr. 0 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

81%

179 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

GM M

Truly unsettling but well worth seeing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/08/23

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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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

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

The Skin I Live In is well worth seeing. Mad scientists overwhelmed by hubris are nothing new but no iteration of the story has been told in quite this way.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 20, 2018

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

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

Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

An essay on bioethics with elements of science fiction and black humor. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7.5/10

Oct 4, 2022

Full Review

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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
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

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