The Skin I Live In Blu-ray | Pedro Almodóvar Film | Psychological Thriller Movie | Perfect for Movie Nights & Film Collections

Pedro Almodóvar has created so many superb surrealistic yet intensely human films that it s no surprise that he should enter the genre of horror stories. THE SKIN I LIVE IN (La piel que habito) takes us deep inside a terrifying concept and yet for all the potential for being a gore fest he manages to make it one of his finest explorations of the human psyche.Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) lives in a mansion with his servant: Marilla (Marisa Paredes) is the head of the household and happens to be Robert's mother as well - Roberto having been raised by the family for whom Marilla was working at the time the head of the household impregnated her. Robert is a plastic surgeon and has committed his teaching and research and creativity towards perfecting a type of skin that sustain fire, cuts, and insects, and despite the lack of backing of his prestigious colleagues to extend this work toward work with humans, Robert is working in secret in his home trying to devise a skin that would have helped his late wife severely burned in an auto accident. His patient in progress is Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya) on whom Robert works day and night to perfect his `invention' of perfect skin. In a typical Almodóvar move, a strange man in a tiger costume (for Carnival) arrives at Robert's home: Zeca (Roberto Álamo) is a criminal on the run, needs money, happens to be the other son of Marilla, and is the one responsible for the fiery accident that disfigured Robert's wife who subsequently committed suicide when after surviving the accident sees her own distorted image in a window and leaps to her death.The film takes us back six years to explain the events: Robert's daughter Norma (Blanca Suárez) has been hospitalized and medicated for mental illness since she observed her mother's suicide. But she goes to a party where she is desired by a young lad Vicente (Jan Cornet) and in the throes of drugs the two enter into an attempted sexual liaison that is discovered by Roberto. What happens after this is best left unsaid as the key to the terror of the film has begun and sharing more would deprive the viewer of the suspense and brilliance of the script.The story was adapted by Pedro Almodóvar and Agustín Almodóvar from a French novel `Tarantula' by Thierry Jonquet, the phenomenal musical score was written by Alberto Iglesias, and the haunting cinematography is the work of José Luis Alcaine. Blessed with a cast of magnificent actors (Almodóvar's usual entourage plus more) Pedro Almodóvar directs this fascinating film to new heights, even for him. The story is complex and while it is bizarre in almost every aspect, it remains a film that explores the human psyche, the power of love, revenge, and the extremes seemingly ordinary people will go if motivated. It is a brilliant film that only grow better with repeated viewings. Grady Harp, March 12