The Skin I Live In is a 2011 Spanish film by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Marisa Paderes and Roberto Álamo. When a doctor operates on his patient, it may not be voluntary. Celebrating Almódovar’s 75th birthday month and the 13th anniversary of the film, we present “La Piel Que Habito.”

Robert Ledgard (played by Banderas) is an outstanding surgeon. Throughout his career, he has had many accomplishments. His latest burden; rebuilding burn tissue.

The medical branch is precise. Before a newfound prescription or product reaches the market, the protocol requires the following steps:

• Testing: A pharmaceutical lab needs to conduct lots of data. This requires a lot of collections and samples.
• Patients: Tests are not applied directly to humans. That is, animals (i.e. rats) are often used as samples.
• Product: After a positive outcome of testing and sampling, the newfound product reaches the masses.

Luckily for Dr. Ledgard, he has found a human willing to serve as an experimental user, named Vera Cruz (Anaya). She lives in an isolated clinic room named “El Cigarral.” Inside, she has the day-to-day essentials (i.e., bed, TV, exercising equipment).

While in isolation, she has found meditation through yoga. In addition, her servant, Marilia (Paredes), is in charge of serving Vera three meals per day.

On the other hand, Vicente (Cornet) is a teenager living in Toledo, Spain. His mother owns a clothing shop where he lends a helping hand. One evening, he attends a wedding celebration. After too many, he hooks up with a young woman and forces himself onto her.

The Skin I Live In

While the screen time keeps rolling, the viewer learns that Dr. Ledgard is a widow and has lost his beloved daughter. In addition, Vera is not at the clinic by her own will.

So, what is the main reason for her captivity? Most importantly, what do Vera and Vicente have in common?

Not only is “The Skin I Live In” a twisted experiment in the mind of director Pedro Almodóvar. Oddly enough, the testing (the script) and the patients (the actors) mix well for the final product (the film) to be released to the masses (Cannes Film Festival).

Indeed, Pedro Almodóvar’s experiments have generated positive reviews. For instance, his films “Julieta” and “The Skin I Live In” have won the Goya Awards for “Best Actresses” for Emma Suárez and Elena Anaya, respectively.

Watch the twisted experiment by Pedro Almodóvar in the link below.

1. “The Skin I Live In” movie. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar (El Deseo, WB. Entertainment España, 2011). ↩︎

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Promising Young Woman (PYW) is a crime drama that premiered at 2020’s Sundance Festival. Directed and written by Emerald Fennell, it stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Christopher Lowell, Connie Britton, Alfred Molina, and Laverne Cox. Why is this feature important for society and the #MeToo movement? Read the article to find the answers and watch “Promising Young Woman.”

The typical office hours are from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm. Afterward, people tend to go to clubs to drink and forget about their daily hurdles.

As with any other cocktail night, intoxication can come into play. Thus, the lines get blurry. Particularly, Cassandra (played by Mulligan), does this every week.

And deja vu, she ends up in a new man’s residence – involuntarily. Except that she isn’t under the influence. Admittedly, she is 100 % sober. So, for what purpose?

Seven years ago, she attended med school alongside her best friend Nina. Two promising young women atop their classes with aspirations of becoming doctors. Unfortunately, on one night of partying, her classmate was raped.

“What would you have me do? Ruin a young man’s life? I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.“

–Dean of Med School, Promising Young Woman (2020)

Once the lines were not blurry anymore, Nina regained consciousness. They reported it to the University but they sided with her predator, Alexander (Lowell), giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Now, she is a 30-year-woman college dropout living with her parents and has settled as a waitress at a coffee shop, owned by Gail (Cox).

One day, she encounters an old friend named Ryan (Burnham) at the shop. Unlike her, he was able to graduate from med school and is an established pediatrician.

Inadvertent, Ryan mentions that their former classmate Alexander is wedding soon. Through social media, she pins down Madison (Brie), an old friend, in hopes of having her now as an ally – to no avail.

Consequently, Cassandra is ready to take matters into her own hands, regardless of whether the Dean of Med School (Britton) and Alexander’s past lawyer (Molina) have moved on. Now, she is ready for payback. Will she meet justice?

Besides excelling at acting, PYW assembles a cast for the audience to believe you are looking at the definition of a “nice guy.” Additionally, costume designer, Nancy Steiner, thoroughly styles multi-facades for Carrey to portray different personas.

“Promising Young Woman” re-sparked the ‘Me Too’ movement, which was prompted by activist Tarana Burke in 2006. A victim herself.

On October 15, 2017, via social media apps, activist Alyssa Milano encouraged all the silenced victims to step forward with the hashtag #MeToo.

Five years later, the movement lets survivors know they are not alone and they have the power to speak up. Slowly the topic has made its way into legislation. Thus, this is an important matter that needs to be addressed at schools, universities, and workplaces.

Look at the cast explaining PYW in the next interview and watch “Promising Young Woman” on your favorite streaming platform.

1. “Promising Young Woman” movie. Directed by Emerald Fennell (Focus Features, 2020). ↩︎
2. “Promising Young Woman” movie. Directed by Emerald Fennell (Focus Features, 2020). ↩︎
3. “Promising Young Woman” movie. Directed by Emerald Fennell (Focus Features, 2020). ↩︎

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Searching movie is a thriller that had its first screening at the 2018 “Sundance Film Festival.” Directed by Aneesh Chaganty, it stars John Cho, Michelle La, Melissa Disney, and Joseph Lee. When a daughter goes missing, how far is a father willing to go to find her?

The Kim family is composed of father David (played by Cho), mother Sara, and their beautiful daughter Margot (La). Throughout the first minutes, the audience learns about their picture-perfect life until Sara passes away.

Despite this tragedy, father and daughter have managed to overcome their grievance. Generally, Margot’s day-to-day consists of school, playing the piano, and meeting up with friends for study sessions.

One evening, she doesn’t come home. However, after talking to one of Margot’s friend’s mother, David learns that she joined her classmates on a camping trip. Luckily for him, his brother Peter (Lee) serves as a shoulder to lean on.

Afterward, he finds out that Margot didn’t go, and she is officially missing. Therefore, he immediately calls the police, who assigns Detective Vick (Messing) to the case.

Luckily for the father, her daughter has left her laptop, which means he has access to her digital fingerprint and whereabouts. The first hours are crucial in searching for a missing person. But along the way, he learns that he can’t trust anybody. Will he find her?

The “Searching” movie explores the cinematic point of view and goes a step further. Throughout the 100-minute film, the audience watches from the technical devices’ POV.

Indeed, if “Unfriended” were baby steps, the “Searching” movie makes sure that this type of feature can have a steady walk.

An interesting fact is that the editing of the movie took 2 years. And it paid off because it won the “Audience Award” at Sundance.

Make sure not to miss its sequel, which as of publishing time, is slated for a 2022 release!

Check some of the behind-the-scenes footage of the “Searching” movie.

1. “Searching” movie. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty (Sony Pictures Releasing, 2018). ↩︎
2. “Searching” movie. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty (Sony Pictures Releasing, 2018). ↩︎

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The movie Victoria is a thriller that premiered at the “Berlin International Film Festival” in February 2015. It stars German actor, Frederick Lau, and Spanish actress, Laia Costa. Sebastian Schipper serves as the director. When two strangers meet in the streets of Berlin, their night has just begun.

Victoria (played by Laia Costa) has recently moved to Berlin (DE). One night she goes to the club where she meets Sonne (Frederick Lau) and his friends: Boxer, Blinker, and Fuß. Despite wanting to go home, the men insist on spending the evening together.

After buying alcohol, they climb up to a rooftop where they continue getting to know each other. During their chat, Victoria learns that Boxer has spent some time behind bars. As the night transcends, she invites Sonne to her workplace.

After some beers, Fuß becomes heavily intoxicated. This will prevent him from going to a mandatory meeting. Thus, Sonne asks Victoria to replace him, and she agrees.

While in prison, Boxer was protected by a gangster who now is demanding a favor. Reluctant at first, they have no other option but to comply.

Hence, what follows is an adrenaline-rush injection that will have you on the edge of your seat. In addition, its unsteady camera angles will make you feel part of the gang.

In cinematography, movies are shot scene by scene. Yet “Victoria” sets itself apart from the traditional. After all, it is a two-and-a-half-hour single-take unedited movie.

During the press releases, the cast disclosed that the screenplay consisted only of a few pages. Consequently, the actors had a lot of room for improvising. However, they had to be careful because one mistake could end the entire production.

“Victoria” swept the “German Film Awards” (Lola Awards) by winning six trophies including “Best Director,” “Best Cinematography,” and “Best Performance” by an Actor and Actress.

Check the trailer of the movie Victoria in the link below.

1. The movie Victoria. Directed by Sebastian Schipper (Roadside Attractions, 2015). ↩︎
2. “Victoria” movie. Directed by Sebastian Schipper (Roadside Attractions, 2015). ↩︎

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