X
- 1998
- R
- Goldwyn Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 1998
- R
- Goldwyn Films
- 1 h 43 m
Summary An obsessed Víctor (Rabal) tries to get with Elena (Neri). Policemen David (Bardem) and Sancho (Sancho) are called in. Victor is sent to jail after accidently shooting David and seeks them out after he gets out of jail.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
- 1998
- R
- Goldwyn Films
- 1 h 43 m
- 1998
- R
- Goldwyn Films
- 1 h 43 m
Live Flesh
69
7.2
Where to Watch
Summary An obsessed Víctor (Rabal) tries to get with Elena (Neri). Policemen David (Bardem) and Sancho (Sancho) are called in. Victor is sent to jail after accidently shooting David and seeks them out after he gets out of jail.
Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
69
67% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 Critic Reviews
69
67% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Live Flesh is an effortlessly articulated tragicomedy by Pedro Almodovar, a world-renowned filmmaker at the height of his powers. [30 Jan 1998]
Live Flesh, the best movie from Almodóvar since that Iberian screwball classic "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
11% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
9% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 User Ratings
7.2
80% Positive
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
11% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
9% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Casualidad, pasión, celos, rencor, venganza. Sólo alguien como Almodóvar supo cómo articular esas palabras en una historia que captura la curiosidad del espectador, lo suficiente para ponerse en la piel de los personajes. Es aquí donde Javier Bardem saldría del anonimato.
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The Skin live in was so good have gone through Almodovar's other movies, up chronologically, not liked any so far. I am starting to see the pattern, good looking guys get obsessed with slutty or unattractive women. It's like trashy romance novels. Javier Bardem is really good and has an excellent voice. The script on this one has good twists, +2 points for a script so crazy it is still being understood as credits roll.
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It's all very clever but not really provocative - though a layer of political subtext may make the scenario seem funnier and more meaningful.
The result is undeniably gorgeous, but it's all busy surface, beautiful bodies and ironically absurd plot contrivance, occasionally awkward references to political events in '70s Spain notwithstanding.
The real trouble with this movie is that it represents the continuing departure of Almodovar from the chaotic, riotous and anti-social roots that gave his best movies their zest.
The psychological study that is the author's trademark is reduced to superficial and negative motivation - lust, guilt, revenge, escape.
Five characters, five different people of whom Almodovar tells the story matching them in this movie half road between a detective and melodrama. This is an enjoyable movie (as everything Almodovar does) tough not his best one.
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Victor is a proletarian guy, born on bus by a mother working as a prostitute (shown in an overlong introduction and pointless to the rest of the movie) who falls for Elena, an upper class junkie. Actually, he just has casual sex with her once and becomes erotically obsessed with her.
He stalks her to her apartment and stubbornly refuses to leave her alone. A fight ensues and Sancho and David, a couple of cops appear on the scene. David gets paralyzed by a gunshot and ends up married to Elena.
Victor gets to jail, but he is still obsessed with Elena and continues stalking her once he gets out four years later. Already unconvincing, the story takes a turn for the absurd when Elena shows a growing interest for Victor, who continues to confuse obsession with love.
In the meantime, Victor is also sexually involved with Clara, Sancho's wife (very believable plot twist). Clara is giving him lessons to become the best lover in the world, Victor's top ambition so as to astonish Elena with his performance. It sounds like a demented plot, but I am not making it up.
Probably one of the weakest Almodovar's films, it contains the inevitable steamy sex scene, which are Almodovar trademark and it is disgraced even further by an absurd "happy ending", which sees stalker and prey happily together, while Elena is giving birth to their child on a car (back to the start, in a sort of circular move).
P.S. to make the matter worse, throughout the whole movie Victor blames Elena, David and everybody else for his misfortunes, conveniently avoiding to notice that the whole drama arose from his obsession.
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Production Company
El Deseo,
CiBy 2000,
France 3 Cinéma
Release Date Jan 16, 1998
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline Life, love, desire...and everything in between.
Website
http://www.mgm.com/live_flesh/
Awards
SESC Film Festival, Brazil
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Spanish Actors Union
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Goya Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
