La Piel Que Habito (aka The Skin I Live In) (2011)

A renowned surgeon (Antonio Banderas) has developed an abnormally resilient skin that cannot burn. While he claims to have used mice for his testing, in reality, he has been using a young woman (Elena Anaya) who he's keeping prisoner. Based on the novel MYGALE by Thierry Jonquet and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Has there been a more consistently fascinating director these past few decades than Almodovar? Once again, he hits a home run with a complex concoction of horror, sci-fi, Sirkian melodrama and the most shocking piece of revenge since Titus Andronicus served Tamara that pie in Shakespeare's bloody vengeance piece. But it's still 100% pure Almodovar! Stylish, unsettling, humorous and disturbing on so many levels I don't know where to start. Almodovar creates a sense of dread from the first few scenes and that atmosphere remains through out the film. You keep expecting the worst and you're not disappointed. Banderas gives one of his very best performances. Like Penelope Cruz, he seems to do his best work with Almodovar. The superior score is by Alberto Iglesias. With Almodovar regular Marisa Paredes (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER), Jan Cornet and Roberto Alamo as Paredes' psycho son whose cartoonish performance feels out of sync with the rest of the film. Bravo, Pedro!