3 gibbles out of 5

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Not what I expected.  What was I supposed to expect?  Good question.  I don’t know.  I’ve only seen a couple Almodovar films and I saw them when I wasn’t really watching them, dig, I was just adding them to the list of things I’ve seen.  You know how it is when you’re trying to impress ladies.  By never talking to them.  Hoping they’re impressed by a film resume you never present, or by how much time you spend in your basement apartment.  Yup.  So I know Almodovar visually a tad, and know enough to expect some sexually charged nonsense in his films, but ‘Skin’ still wasn’t really what I expected.  And I don’t think I liked it.  I think elements of it were clumsy, and the construction of its point is questionable and wayward.  But it reminds me a bit of Jodorowsky… J-man is much more surreal, for sure, and almost more consistent within his films, but both share a dedication to put something on the screen regardless of anything except for their desire for it to be on the screen.  While this could be a pompous move depending on the presentation, both directors – to my well-informed eye (we’re talking years of movie (*cough* porn *cough*) watching here) – both directors have this honesty in what’s translated to screen that makes it watchable.  And interesting?  Hm.

So Antonio Banderas is a plastic surgeon who has a chick locked in his house who always wears a body stocking.  Food is sent to her through a dumbwaiter and she’s not allowed sharp objects because, as we soon find out, she likes trying to commit suicide.  Banderas is able to fix any damage to her body she does… grafting new skin he’s created atop her scars.  We soon learn that Banderas has been working on an artificial skin that is not only less likely to attract insects, but is actually more resistant to damage.  We also learn that this chick is being made to look like his wife, and then we learn that his wife is dead.  We continue to learn bits and pieces about this girl, and what Banderas is doing to her, when our first act is brought to a close by an intruder getting into the home and causing some sexual havoc.  Now we flash back six years.  And we get the rest of the story, bit by bit.

Trailers and some reviews lead you to believe this is a “twist” movie.  It is.  It doesn’t hide itself like a traditional twist, as once some you pass the halfway mark and get some initial details, you can feel it out.  But the movie isn’t trying to hinge on this.  As Ebert points out in his review, details are offered and things happen and they might just be extra flourish for the picture, but Almodovar still wants to take his viewers on the whole tour.  It’s this dedication to development that keeps you watching.  There’s always something to watch.  That it doesn’t connect is unfortunate.  Creepiness lurks just beneath the surface, and the sexual freedom that’s been a staple in Almodovar’s films helps to highlight the sterility of Banderas clinical approach, but you’re just not wrapped up in it.  This story is taking place whether or not you’re watching it.  None of the characters are particularly involving, which makes the central plight of either Banderas or lead actress Elena Anaya distant.  This could certainly be read as part of the subtext of the film, but regardless, it’s not realized in a way that makes you feel anything, directly or indirectly.

The filming stumbles a bit here and there, but this could be a tribute to a particular film style, which Almodovar is apparently big on.  The colors and sets are big and beautiful, but have a similar feeling of remove – like you should be impressed but aren’t.  So.  “Skin.”  You’re watching it, and you finish it.  The plot is interesting when related to another, but it wasn’t particularly notable, oddly, at the time.  The film, to its credit, does sit in your brain for a bit as you ponder the Why, but you don’t ponder it too deeply.  I mostly pondered my rating.  I didn’t especially enjoy the movie, and felt a disconnected from its story approach.  So I hovered at an almighty two gibble.  But I did watch the movie quite awake, and I would’ve kept watching it.  It is accomplished film-making.  So I recognize its merits from afar, and give it another gibble, and move on to another film.