The Skin I Live In” (La piel que habito) is a 2011 Spanish psychological thriller directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film stars Antonio Banderas as Dr. Robert Ledgard, a renowned plastic surgeon who, haunted by past tragedies, develops a synthetic skin capable of withstanding severe burns. He tests this creation on Vera, portrayed by Elena Anaya, who is held captive in his mansion under mysterious circumstances.
Dr. Ledgard’s obsession with creating a burn-resistant skin stems from the traumatic loss of his wife in a car accident. After years of research, he succeeds in developing a durable, touch-sensitive synthetic skin. Vera, his unwilling subject, becomes the focal point of his experiments, leading to a series of unsettling and transformative events that challenge perceptions of identity and autonomy.
The film received acclaim for its compelling narrative and visual style. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 81% approval rating based on 176 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The consensus praises the film as “a stylish, unsettling, and thoroughly original thriller that showcases director Pedro Almodóvar at his most daring.
