The huge mansion is designed for a large number of residents, but inside it is almost empty. Among the long corridors and numerous rooms you can meet only a couple of servants and a young woman. In general, there are exactly as many people as necessary so that the owner of the house can safely conduct his terrible experiments. The article will discuss the plot of the picture, the characters and the actors who played them. “The Skin I Live In” is a film by Pedro Almodovar, which tells of very strange events.
Mysterious patient
In the past, the famous surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) has not practiced in his own clinic for a long time. No, he did not give up science, but simply decided to expand his area of knowledge a little bit due to the idea of creating artificial leather. The scientist does not hide his goals from colleagues, however, and not all is told to them. For example, what experiments not mice, but a young girl who lives in one of the rooms of his huge house.
Vera (Elena Anaya) spends all her time in this room. She is being watched by a maid named Marilia, who provides the girl with everything she asks for. Besides the keys, she was not allowed to leave these few square meters. Vera does not seem to understand who she is and why she is locked up. But very soon she will have to find out everything.
Convincing request
It is worth noting the serious work that the actors did. “The Skin I Live In” is a non-trivial film. The plot unfolds in such a way that, having looked at even a third of the film, it is difficult to understand what its essence is all the same. In general, it should be so, because the director of the picture, Pedro Almodovara, at one time even asked reviewers to disclose details as little as possible. He said that it would be much more interesting to look like that.
So, according to his logic, the review of the picture should consist of several general phrases: “I liked everything, the actors played well, there would be more such stories.” However, given the fact that the film "The Skin I Live in" has already been watched by many, and any description describes more than necessary, a discussion of several characters will not harm anyone.
Obsession
Sometimes a person’s ability to do something better than others creates a false illusion of his omnipotence. She absorbs him so much that he forgets about the little things that in the future can create him a lot of problems.
Previously, Robert Ledgard, whose role was played by Antonio Banderas (Matador, Interview with the Vampire, Spy Kids, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, etc.), was a specialist in the field of surgery. But a series of life circumstances forced him to engage in forbidden research. The fact is that at first he understood how serious and dangerous his work was, so he was careful. But he began to succeed, and this success blinded the scientist, forcing him to give more freedom to his experiments.
The patient of Dr. Ledgard, Vera Cruz, played by Elena Anaya (Africa, For Special Occasions, Erased Traces, etc.), is a mysterious person even for herself. This character immediately raises a lot of questions, the answers to which will be given evenly throughout the film. In the meantime, we can say that Vera loves to do yoga, wears a strange tight-fitting suit, and the girl reminds someone who sees her.
But the whole story does not only revolve around the magnificent Robert Ledgard mansion. Now he leads a reclusive lifestyle, and before the surgeon was a more open person. He was always surrounded by relatives and friends, and he was an honored guest at the events that they organized. At one of these evenings, a man met Vicente, who was played by Han Cornet (“Night of the Brother”, “Love by Prescription”). It was this guy who gave Robert the idea for which the former surgeon began to disappear for hours in his own laboratory.
The actors who played in the film (“The Skin I Live in”) quite successfully kept the viewer in the dark. And they did it on purpose, due to the laconicism of the characters, their modest dialogues. Even at first glance, the usual servant, Marilia, whose role was played by Marisa Paredes, behaves like an agent undercover. She seems to have to follow the patient, but her personal story with Robert Ledgard has much deeper roots.
The best
I wonder if there is a nomination for the most unpleasant film? And then the film adaptation of the story of Thierry Zhonke "Tarantula" could safely claim it. It’s not that the film is disgusting (it’s far from Kevin Smith’s “Tusk”), but sometimes the game played by the actors is amazing. “The skin in which I live” sometimes shows scenes from which I want to grimace. But does this stop anyone from watching?