The film "The skin in which I live": reviews. "The skin in which I live": actors

Painting of Pedro Almodovar "The skin I live in" is one of the most controversial, shocking and delightful works of the famous Spanish film director. A non-standard storyline, complex problems and an outstanding cast made the film immediately after its release in the most discussed topic in the world of cinema. The picture became an object of heated discussions and received extremely contradictory reviews. "The skin in which I live" did not leave anyone indifferent. And the film has caused the audience equally admiration and disgust. To understand what is the cause of such a heat of passion, we will make a short digression into the history that Pedro Almodovar presented to the public.

Brief introduction to the plot

Events film "The skin I live in" (2011) occur in the vicinity of Toledo. A few miles from the city is the private clinic of plastic surgery El Cigarral. A huge mansion, surrounded by a stone fence, has long been out of clients. There, Dr. Robert Ledgard is working on creating the perfect skin. An ingenious surgeon transgresses all laws of ethics. The main object of his experiments is a young woman Vera, locked in a room without windows under the supervision of cameras.

In the throes of despair the captive is engaged in self-mutilation, and sometimes finds no other way out of the situation, except how to offer the doctor a joint life. However, he responds coldly to any emotional outbursts of a woman.

All this would continue, but one day, after returning to the mansion, Ledgard discovers the servant Marilya, tied to the chair, with a gag in her mouth, and on the screen set to observe the captive, a man who selflessly rapes Vera. Robert slowly walks into her room and points at him with the barrel of a revolver. Two bullets go to the rapist, whose limp body corpses the victim's blood.

Film structure: reviews

A naturalistic, sometimes repulsive, nasty tie caused more negative reviews. "The skin in which I live" begins slowly and even slightly prolonged, as the audience notes. The first part of the body horror, they looked without much enthusiasm, experiencing some confusion with a taste of disgust.

Special indignation was caused by a rapist in a tiger costume. The son of Marilya Seca, a kind of dull oblen with clearly criminal inclinations, skillfully played by the actor Roberto Alamo, is able to cause bewilderment. A huge tiger, licking the screen, taking off pants on the threshold of the mansion, is a grotesque, which not everyone likes. However, the intrigue created by the director, did the trick: the majority of kinomanov continued to watch and was not disappointed.

The failed intimate closeness of Vera and Robert, which gives back the Stockholm syndrome, opens up a string of flashbacks that have become a real shock therapy for unsuspecting viewers. The Noordian background of Ledgard's actions, revealed in the culmination, and the dizzying interchange of the thriller led the audience to emotional catharsis. More than one week the film-lovers had to digest what they saw.

Antonio Banderas as Robert Ledgard

With the role of genius-psychopath Robert Ledgard in the film "The skin in which I live," Antonio Banderas coped brilliantly. Already mature actor perfectly accustomed to the image of a calculating plastic surgeon, completely devoid of sophisticated revenge. Restrained facial expressions, cynical remarks, unhurried grace of the beast created together with references to the tragic events of six years ago, an indecently attractive type of maniac that will prompt the viewer at the same time to sympathy, disgust and admiration.

The hero of Banderas is driven only by two ideas: the creation of an ideal skin in memory of the deceased wife and revenge for the death of his beloved daughter. They embody them in violent experiments on Vera. He cold-bloodedly manipulates a scalpel, creating his own creation; Changes the nature of his skin, transferring genetic information from the pig's cell to the human. Now Vera is not afraid of a gas burner or mosquito bites. This modern Frankenstein, in which Ledgard invested all his talent and hatred, in a strange way turns into his Galatea, the object of the distorted passion and love of the surgeon.

Elena Anaya in the Image of Faith

In the film "The Skin I Live In" Elena Anaya played a rather difficult psychological role for the Faith. Surprisingly beautiful woman with crystal clear skin and a doll fragile figure embodied the conceptual idea of the director about the inviolability of the human soul, enclosed in the body, a shell with which anything a surgical knife and science can do. This is the essence of the film "The Skin I Live in".

The plot of the film will force the viewer to change his mind about the main character more than once. Her image is the most controversial. It contains the main mystery of the creation of the Spanish film director. The body of the Faith has undergone all possible transformations. But the violent operations, the closed room, the desperation of the situation did not break her personality. Locked in a cage, she counts the days, drawing a cosmetic pencil on the date wall, struggling not to lose the remnants of the mind in a reality that is insane to the point of absurdity.

Was she really imbued with sympathy for Ledgard or was she ruled solely by the instinct of self-preservation? The viewer can only guess. Almodovar masterfully portrayed the complex relationship of the characters in the film, leaving this question open.

Marisa Paredes and her heroine Marilia

She took part in the filming of the movie "The skin I live in" Marisa Paredes, playing the role of Marilya's maid. Her character is not the last important figure in the film. It is a treasure trove of the Ledgard family. It is with her lips flying off of recognition, revealing the veil over some of the reasons for the emotional degradation of Robert.

Marilia is an accomplice in the insane actions of the surgeon. She is his protector and faithful guardian. Faith, in her understanding, is a source of danger, an uncontrollable result of an experiment that is best destroyed before a catastrophe occurs.

She does not know the concept of morality. The life of Marilya is subordinated to the care of Robert. She calmly looks at the murders and violence if they are needed by her ward. However, Ledgard's feelings towards Vera are met with a sharply negative reaction from her side, as something destructive and harmful.

"The skin in which I live": "a show of moral freaks" or a story about the personal tragedies of heroes?

In the movie "The Skin I Live In" the actors showed an unprecedented variety of images. However, none of them is the embodiment of absolute good or evil. Spectators perceive heroes either as moral monsters, whose actions are not justified, or as people, broken by countless life tragedies. However, often these assessments merge, causing a reaction of shock, which forces us to refrain in principle from clear definitions. How to relate to the insanity of Ledgard? Is it so innocent the fragile Faith? Why does Marilia cover the horrific deeds that Robert is doing in El Cigarral?

Was revenge justified?

And finally, the most important question: is it justified the revenge of Dr. Ledgard, embodied in the film "The skin in which I live"? The plot, in detail reflecting the essence of the events six years ago, is fully capable of making the viewer sympathize with the surgeon, and what is most surprising is to provoke a diametrically opposite reaction. Until the end it remains unclear who in this story is a real victim. People perceive the events of the film in two ways. Accordingly, there are different opinions. "The skin in which I live" will lead to long reflections and serious disputes about the moral side of the matter.

Thierry Jonke v. Pedro Almodovar

The picture itself was filmed based on the work of the French writer Thierry Jonke "Tarantula", which gained popularity thanks to the sensational creation of Pedro Almodovar.

There were many who wanted to compare the film with its foundation. The shocking naturalism of the tabloid horror story forced many to recognize her superiority over the movie masterpiece. However, there were other responses. "The skin in which I live," according to some kinomanov, is that exceptional case when the film exceeds the book. However, viewing the picture of Almodovar and reading the story of Jonka - the actions are complementary, because these creations have some significant differences in the plot.

The quintessence of the work of Pedro Almodovar

In general, the critics and the audience were enthusiastic about the picture. Nontrivial plot, elegant close-ups, atmospheric musical compositions by Alberto Iglesias, skillfully selected costumes and scenery made a real masterpiece of Almodovar's film "The Skin I Live in".

The actors gave 100 percent. Heroes Banderas, Anaya, Paredes want to believe. They cause a really explosive mixture of conflicting emotions. The basis for it was created by the amazing game Blanqui Suarez in the role of Norma Ledgard and Khan Cornet in the image of Vicente.

The key scenes of the film are accompanied by the piercing voice of the singer Concha Buica, performing the quivering composition Por el amor de amar about bright dreams that have long died in the hearts of the main characters.