At some point, you gotta hand it to Pedro Almodóvar: he never gets cheated.
El Flunkee: Um, sir, people don’t like to see rape on film.
Señor Almodóvar: Don’t like rape, eh? Forget that; this is important. I see your rape and raise you two rapes and an unconsented surgery. How’s that sound? Any more complaints?
El Flunkee: No, sir.
The Skin I Live In opens on an attractive woman (Elena Anaya) doing yoga in a nude body stocking. It’s sexy, very sexy. Sorry, I have to interrupt this. You need a visual:
Her room is bare; her food and entertainment are supplied via dumbwaiter. Is she content? Hard to tell. She seems indifferent to her surroundings. Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) returns home. We quickly learn the girl is a prisoner. He watches her via close-circuit television in an adjacent room. He is fascinated with her, but then he unlocks her door and approaches with a very standoffish air. She is very attractive, yet he seems not to find her so. Is she a prisoner in his home? Why? Some exposition later, we find Dr. Bob is a highly skilled plastic surgeon working on experimental and illegal synthetic replacement skin. This must have something to do with the girl.
And thus we get to the Pedro Almodóvar question: do you really want to know? You’ve been given fair warning; he asks this question in almost every film. Proceed at your peril, because the answer, while fascinating, will take you aback.
We switch gears. Dr. Bob departs, leaving housekeeper Marilia (Marisa Paredes) alone in charge. A man (Roberto Álamo) dressed as a tiger talks his way past security. Turns out he’s the estranged adult son of the Marilia. When he sees the imprisoned woman on camera, his penis takes over. He ties up mom, demands the key at knifepoint and proceeds to rape the girl. This can’t be the tearful reunion she had envisioned.
The girl’s reaction to the rape is important – she seems aloof, almost outside of herself. Is this a self-preservation mechanism? Is this about the skin? Is it not sensitive? Rapes are violent, aggressive, ugly and hateful. This one seems almost muted.
And again, do you really want to know? Because that can be arranged. I’ve only scratched the surface of this tale.
Rated R, 117 Minutes
D: Pedro Almodóvar
W: Pedro Almodóvar
Genre: Almodóvar
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Pedro Almodóvar
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: The easily disturbed
