The Skin I Live In

Play trailer

The Skin I Live In

R

Released Oct 14, 2011

2h 0m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

179 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in an auto accident, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a skilled plastic surgeon, has tried to develop a new skin that could save the lives of burn victims. Finally, after 12 years, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), who is held prisoner against her will in the doctor's mansion.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

The Skin I Live In lacks Almodovar's famously charged romance, replaced with a wonderfully bizarre and unpredictable detour into arthouse ick.

Read Critics Reviews

Gabrielle Rivera

Autostraddle

Banderas settles into the dark character of Dr. Ledgard with a stillness and apparent ease that gave me the chills I left the movie theater wondering if it worth it.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

José Teodoro

Film Comment Magazine

Almodóvar has a body of work as rigorously personal as any out there, and, even with its flaws, he wears this latest Skin rather well.

Nov 5, 2013

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Despite the typically invigorating sense of line and framing, The Skin I Live In withholds the director's customary satisfactions and affirmations. The result is a saga of obsession that, in its saturnine undertone, maintains a hard-to-enjoy integrity.

Jul 1, 2013

Full Review

Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

Banderas’ Ledgard is charismatic, sinister and full of deep rooted rage. Banderas’ performance is very remisicitant of Cary Grant in Suspicion (1941), but our suspicions of Ledgard is very much justified in The Skin I Live In.

Oct 4, 2024

Full Review

Michael Leader

Den of Geek

Alberto Iglesias' astounding score is a diverse work, taking in a wide array of tones and arrangements, shifting from high tension string sections, to electronic backbeats, from guitar drones to moody saxophone.

Rated: 4/5

May 7, 2024

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

The closest Almodóvar has come to making a horror film, The Skin I Live In is a deeply uncomfortable yet fascinating puzzle box of a film.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 27, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Paul S

It was a little boring, but the story was disturbing and captivating. I definitely recommend it for drama fans!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

Full Review

Obi-wan K

:[

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/09/25

Full Review

Megan K

Even though this movie is more than a decade old, I just saw it for the first time recently, and…..oh my. Very disturbing. Leaves you empathizing with the main character long after you’ve watched it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

Full Review

Dionisis T

Disturbing and not in a good and joyful kind of way...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

Full Review

Audience Member

O enredo tece em curvas não lineares uma obra de arte das mais impressionantes. É uma alta voltagem ao redor do belo, do repulsivo, estético, moralmente questionável e controverso. As interpretações são gloriosas. A sensação de surpresa não é tão grande, falta sutileza. Mas a de espanto é insuperável.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

Katherine M

I made an account just to give this movie 1 star. The first hour is strictly dedicated to the GRAPHIC trauma suffered by the female characters in the most grotesque and least subtle way. Almodóvar describes it as a “horror movie” but it’s simply an exploitation of women and the worst possible things that can happen to us. This is not art it’s trauma p*rn

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Pedro Almodóvar

Director

Antonio Banderas

Dr. Robert Ledgard

Elena Anaya

Vera

Marisa Paredes

Marilia

Jan Cornet

Vicente

Roberto Álamo

Zeca

Take Shelter

92%

81%

Take Shelter

Watchlist

Shutter Island

69%

77%

Shutter Island

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Shutter Island

Martha Marcy May Marlene

90%

71%

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Watchlist

Stone

49%

21%

Stone

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Footloose is Toe-Tapping Fun

View more photos

Synopsis

Ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in an auto accident, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a skilled plastic surgeon, has tried to develop a new skin that could save the lives of burn victims. Finally, after 12 years, Ledgard has created a skin that guards the body, but is still sensitive to touch. With the aid of his faithful housekeeper (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard tests his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), who is held prisoner against her will in the doctor's mansion.

Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Producer: Agustín Almodóvar, Esther García
Screenwriter: Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: El Deseo S.A., FilmNation, Canal+ España
Rating: R (Drug Use|Disturbing Violent Content|Strong Sexuality|Graphic Nudity|Language|Sexual Assault)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.2M
Runtime: 2h 0m

Most Popular at Home Now