Critical Consensus: Pedro Almodovar’s “The Skin I Live In” Tops Weak Week On criticWIRE
Despite finding a mixed response since debuting at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Pedro Almodovar’s latest, “The Skin I Live In” is the pick of a rather weak week for opening specialty films according to the folks polled on criticWIRE.
The first collaboration in 21 years between Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas, the film follows a eminent plastic surgeon (Banderas) who has long been interested in creating a new skin that would have saved his dead wife when she was burned in a car crash. Twenty-six critics gave it an average of B on the film’s criticWIRE page. indieWIRE‘s Eric Kohn gave the film a B- in his Cannes review, having mixed thoughts on Almodovar’s latest.
Based on Thierry Jonque’s novel “Tarantula,” Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Skin I Live In” is a medical revenge thriller about genre identity. It’s also a meandering, tonally confused work. Teaming with Antonio Banderas for the first time in two decades and working with genre elements he hasn’t touched in nearly as long, the Spanish auteur has a good time with outrageous plot twists and offbeat sexual intrigue. However, Almodóvar appears unmotivated to even try holding it all together. Instead, he lets the mess pile up and enjoys it.
More extensive takes on “Skin” and other films opening this weekend are linked below.
Also offered is the top 10 criticWIRE scores for films already in theaters, which is currently topped by doc “Hell and Back Again” (which has a rare “A” average), Note that only films with three or more grades have their averages included.
iW Film Calendar & criticWIRE:
criticWIRE | Opening this week | Opening this month | All Films A – Z
criticWIRE: Films Opening This Week
NOTE: The averages listed here are current as of the publishing of this article. They are subject to change as new grades come in and will be updated in next week’s edition of this article.
The Skin I Live In (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B
The Woman (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B
Bombay Beach (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: TBD
Chalet Girl (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: TBD
The Dead (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: TBD
Fireflies in the Garden (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: TBD
Texas Killing Fields (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: TBD
criticWIRE: 10 Best Bets Already In Theaters
1. Hell and Back Again (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: A
2. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: A-
3. Senna (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: A-
4. We Were Here (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: A-
5. The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975 (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: A-
6. Drive (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B+
7. Weekend (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B+
8. Take Shelter (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B+
9. 50/50 (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B+
10. Moneyball (iW film page)
Average criticWIRE rating: B+
