An eminent surgeon (Antonio Banderas), obsessed with his past, creates a revolutionary new synthetic skin. Vera (Elena Anaya) is his guinea pig, a beautiful, volatile young woman who holds the key to his obsessions. That’s as far as I’ll go. There’s no need to know anything more about a story that has to be told through the film itself. Those of you who see it will be grateful.
What have we got?
- A surprising, carefully crafted script.
- A story that hooks you and needs the whole film to be told.
- Fabulous actors (Jan Cornet especially, and the magnificent Eduard Fernández).
- A renowned director who directs, writes the script and produces (through his own company). That’s probably why this gem saw the light of day.
- A very fitting soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias, a regular in Almodóvar’s films.
What haven’t we got?
- Special effects. Not really needed, but when they do appear they look shoddy.
How does it turn out?
An intelligent film that plays with morality, good, evil and all the greys in between. Every character carries some obsession that breaks one or many values. The cinematography is perfect, playing throughout with a minimalist photography of morally wrong acts: it’s the beauty of the macabre. Hence the horror it gives off and the irony, how an obsession can turn into an achievement, a revenge or simply an unpleasant act. A film that presents us with implausible events. The kind you enjoy while you watch it and, when it’s over, you think about, talk about and digress over.
It doesn’t terrify, but some of what happens horrifies. In the vein of A Clockwork Orange (for the violence and morality) or Open Your Eyes (for the feeling of not knowing where the film is taking you until the end). There are even echoes of the phenomenal Hard Candy. The cinematography and the complexity of the script and characters are clearly Almodóvar, so if you’re a fan you may enjoy it even if it isn’t your genre. The story itself is striking, intricate and chilling. If you like this kind of script, it will interest you even if you don’t care for the director’s other films.
Watch it with company, so you can talk about it, on a day when you can let yourself go and give it your full attention.
Macabre and delicious, highly recommended.