The Skin I Live In
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
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  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Oct 14, 2011
    88
    Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar offers up a grisly Halloween trick-and-treat in his first full-out horror movie, an eye-popping and genuinely shocking gender-bending twist on Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo.''
  2. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    Oct 13, 2011
    88
    Even when the film's frigid elegance, perfectly captured by cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, becomes off-puttingly clinical, Almodóvar's passion burns through. The skin he lives in is alive to challenge no matter what warped form it takes.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    Oct 19, 2011
    83
    Allusions to "Vertigo," "Rebecca," and Georges Franju's great 1960 French horror movie "Eyes Without a Face" are intentional: The Skin I Live In is, above all, the creation of a movie fanatic who loves to look.
  4. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    Oct 13, 2011
    90
    Ultimately an original film that forces us, time and again, to reconsider what we think we've just seen, and what we're sure we feel - not only about mere appearance, or fateful gender, but about who, under our skin, we truly are.
  5. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    Nov 9, 2011
    89
    Banderas, taking time off from voicing kids' films and appearing in Robert Rodriguez outings, plays Ledgard with just the right amount of borderline-freaky, intensity, and Anaya is another of Almodovar's terrifically talented and shockingly beautiful female leads.
  6. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Nov 3, 2011
    88
    By the end of the movie, when all your questions have been answered, you're left with the exhilarating high of having been manipulated by a gifted artist in a diabolically dark mood.
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    Nov 3, 2011
    91
    And while it may be true that Almodóvar doesn't have Hitchcock's way with terror, it's not clear that Hitchcock could leave the real world behind so wholly and convincingly as Almodóvar does here.
  8. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Oct 14, 2011
    83
    It all achieves a loony unity by the end, even though what is being unified is not altogether palatable.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    Oct 13, 2011
    90
    There are several genres nimbly folded into The Skin I Live In, which might also be described as an existential mystery, a melodramatic thriller, a medical horror film or just a polymorphous extravaganza. In other words, it's an Almodóvar movie with all the attendant gifts that implies: lapidary technique, calculated perversity, intelligent wit.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. wishmaster
    9
    I can not explain, that strangest movie, fascinating mind traps you until the last minute. great the soundtrack was one of the key parts that will make this film a gem. Almadovar wow, you know making movies shocking.… Full Review »
  2. TVJerry
    7
    The latest from Pedro Almodóvar is unlike anything he's done before: it's not an offbeat comedy or an introspective drama. More a moody science fiction tragedy. Antonio Banderas plays a plastic surgeon who's created a beautiful sort of Frankenstein. His drive for a medical breakthrough combines with grief and revenge to motivate his intense obsession. The film is visually interesting, often off kilter and intriguing on several levels, but some may find the deliberate pacing gets in the way of the film's power. Still, it's an unusual, compelling and slightly-creepy experience.… Full Review »
  3. MikefromAngus
    7
    The movie is very good. I found it very intresting to watch, kept me intrested all the way to the end! Going into into the film i didnt know what to expect, a shocking film with everything coming to an conclusion when the movie ends. Worth watching!… Full Review »
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