FILM REVIEW: THE SKIN I LIVE IN – FREELANCE PRIMATE
Review by Stephen Carnell
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet
Synopsis: Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, uses modern science to create the woman of his dreams, which quickly turn into nightmares.
Review: Antonio Banderas teams up with Pedro Almodóvar, the flamboyant Spanish writer/director who made Banderas an international star in films such as Matador (1986), Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, (1988) Tie me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990).
Banderas returns to Spanish cinema as Dr. Robert Ledgard, a modern manifestation of Dr. Frankenstein. After the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Ledgard plots to create his perfect woman. Unfortunately, Ledgard apparently lacks empathy, remorse and fear and tries to mould a female doppelgänger who will satisfy his bizarre lust and boundless pride. The Seven Deadly Sins pile up fast as the not so good doctor plays God, and, of course, nothing turns out the way he desires.
Banderas is renowned for his charisma and dark good looks, but to create the character of the psychopathic Dr. Ledgard, Almodovar directed Banderas to remain expressionless and cold throughout the film. This is a very appropriate depiction of a criminal psychopath, but this direction disarms Banderas of his most endearing traits and it is difficult to identify with a protagonist who is so physically and emotionally featureless. Almodóvar appears to wish Ledgard to reflect the physical and emotional imprisonment of his patient, tightly packed into her protective suit and mask. But making a psychopath the central character of any film is fraught with difficulties, since such a character simply cannot connect emotionally with an audience.
Most stories focusing on a psychopath cast the psychopathic character in a menacing, but mostly peripheral role, such as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs and The Red Dragon. The character of Dexter, in the Showtime TV series of the same name, is a rare and successful example of a psychopath being in a lead role. In Dexter, the lead character’s lack of projected emotion is overcome by having Dexter narrate his feelings to his audience. Such a device may have improved our understanding of Dr. Ledgard, but, as he is manifested, he remains an enigma.
The film is set in the very beautiful historic town of Toledo, one hour south of Madrid. We see snippets of the neighbourhood, but the bulk of the film takes place in Ledgard’s luxurious villa, complete with a fully equipped operating theatre. No harnessing the power of God through snaring lightening for this Dr. Frankenstein. Instead he relies on very rational scientific breakthroughs with skin transplants.
The film is very beautifully shot by Jose Luis Alcaine and looks gorgeous in every detailed frame. Conveying this sense of lusciousness is one of Almodóvar’s true strengths.
The story revolves around a small group of characters, all of whom appear rather beautiful, particularly Vera, the woman made by Ledgard. She mirrors Ledgard and remains expressionless for much of the film. It is her emotions breaking through the ‘skin she lives in’ that explodes into the shocking climax of this film. Elena Anaya’s portrayal of Vera is outstanding, and she is absolutely gorgeous, but the strictures placed on the actor by the director do make her hard to love and even harder to comprehend.
One of the highlights of this film was the wonderful score composed by Alberto Iglesias. The score is rich and energizing, with powerful strings driving us forward into the kind of fall that overblown and blinkered pride inevitably causes.
This is a tantalizing film.
