Plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) is controversial because of his experiments, but no one (except a servant) knows that he’s also keeping a woman (Elena Anaya) locked up in his house. Pedro Almodóvar used the Thierry Jonquet novel as a starting point for a tale where a scientist, much like Frankenstein, crosses ethical boundaries and experiments on people’s genders. A wild, uneven mix of melodrama and art film, unpredictable and well structured; through flashbacks we learn more about Banderas’s prisoner. The star is terrific in his first collaboration with the director in 20 years.

2011-Spain. 117 min. Color. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Screenplay: Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar. Novel: Thierry Jonquet (”Tarantula”). Music: Alberto Iglesias. Cast: Antonio Banderas (Robert Ledgard), Elena Anaya (Vera Cruz), Marisa Paredes (Marilia), Jan Cornet, Roberto Álamo, Eduard Fernández.

Trivia: Original title: La piel que habito.

BAFTA: Best Film Not in the English Language.

IMDb