--- title: "The Skin I Live In: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-skin-i-live-in/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-skin-i-live-in" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Skin I Live In (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 22 reviews: 14 positive, 7 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Skin I Live In, praising Almodóvar’s control of a macabre story that moves between melodrama, horror and science fiction. Praise clusters around the striking visuals, the performances of Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya, and Alberto Iglesias’ score. The more enthusiastic reviews find the carefully paced mysteries gripping and the shifts in tone assured, with disturbing material handled skilfully. The disagreement concerns how much emotional and psychological depth accompanies that craft. Some find the storytelling intricate and compelling; others consider it convoluted, meandering or insufficiently frightening. The AV Club praises the film’s visual and thematic strengths but finds its drama unsatisfying, particularly an overlong flashback. The Evening Standard offers the clearest dissent, admiring the leads while wanting more depth from the strange plot. The spread is fairly wide, though even the cooler reviews tend to acknowledge the performances and visual achievement. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2011. Newman finds it macabre, assured filmmaking, though its extreme subject matter and a plot turn may divide viewers. He particularly praises the performances of Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/skin-live-review/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 4/5. 25 August 2011. The critic calls the film a confident, sinister achievement from an auteur at the top of his game. He praises its intricate plot and controlled shifts between genres, noting its unsettling material is handled with acute tact. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-skin-i-live-in) ## Radio Times — Trevor Johnston Rating 4/5. Johnston praises Almodóvar’s distinctive take on mad-doctor horror. He singles out the film’s carefully sustained mysteries around Vera and the doctor’s experiment. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hzx2lr/the-skin-i-live-in/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2011. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film gripping, bizarre and compelling despite its familiar Almodóvar motifs. He praises the director’s hypnotic, elegantly choreographed handling of its surgical-obsession imagery. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/may/19/cannes-2011-film-festival-pedro-almodovar-review) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 22 August 2011. The review praises Almodóvar’s genius for turning the ridiculous into the sublime. It describes the film as a creepy, sombre melodramatic thriller. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-skin-i-live-in-1) ## Total Film — Jamie Graham Rating 4/5. 9 August 2011. Graham finds the film a finely executed, vigorous and unsettling tale, though it lacks the clinical horror or soul-shaking dread of some comparable directors. He praises the vivid visuals, Almodóvar’s anarchic energy, and the performances of Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-skin-i-live-in-review/) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B. 13 October 2011. Murray finds the film visually and thematically effective but dramatically unsatisfying. He faults its overlong, predictable flashback and its retreat into melodrama instead of fully embracing its horror-thriller genre. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-skin-i-live-in-1798169978) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B-. 14 October 2011. Festival review. Kohn finds the film inventive but meandering and tonally confused, with its twists not earning their buildup. He praises Antonio Banderas’s swaggering performance and the strangely appealing atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-pedro-almodovars-the-skin-i-live-in-is-a-messy-medical-thriller-51658/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2011. Linden finds the film visually thrilling and intellectually provocative, though its drama comes to life only intermittently. She especially praises its unforgettable visuals and Alberto Iglesias’ exhilarating score. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-oct-14-la-et-skin-i-live-in-20111014-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2011. Brody calls the film imperfect and sometimes ordinary, but artistically daring and full of remarkable possibilities. He praises its exploration of gender and surgical transformation with soulful mystery. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/pedro-almodvars-skin-game) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and any singled-out element cannot be established. The URL identifies the article as a review of the specified film. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/movies/the-skin-i-live-in-directed-by-pedro-almodovar-review.html) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2011. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable in the accessible text. No specific praise or complaint can be confirmed. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-skin-i-live-in/5027892.article) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2.5/4. 24 September 2011. Gonzalez finds the film’s convoluted story and underdeveloped psychology keep its beautiful vision from fully working. He praises its sensual visual motifs and a subtle, teasing transition between past and present. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-skin-i-live-in/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2011. Festival review. Honeycutt finds the film an unstable but compelling mix of melodrama, science fiction and horror. He praises its lush design, costumes and music, while noting that its earnestness is tempered by well-timed laughs. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/skin-i-live-la-piel-190230/) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2011. Festival review. Chang finds the film stylish and invigorated, but says it falls short of its promise and softens the story’s darkness. He praises the cast, especially Antonio Banderas, and Alberto Iglesias’ arresting score. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/the-skin-i-live-in-1117945266/) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film entertaining but not among Almodóvar’s best, and feels its strange plot should have offered more depth. They praise its striking visuals and exceptional performances, especially Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-skin-i-live-in-review-7426427.html) ## Den of Geek — Michael Leader Rating 4/5. 25 August 2011. Leader finds the film a creepy, compelling, and enjoyably perverse thriller that succeeds through its tonal flexibility. He particularly praises Almodóvar’s deftly handled plot twist and Alberto Iglesias’ varied score. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-skin-i-live-in-review/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Rating 4/5. 22 August 2011. Papamichael finds the film intensely compelling but often sickening and needlessly vicious. She praises the force of its emotion and the seamless impact of its sensational twist. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a333958/the-skin-i-live-in-review/) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating ★★★★. 22 August 2011. Concannon calls the film an exhilarating return to form and finds its audacious, twist-laden story riveting. He singles out Banderas’s performance and Almodóvar’s meticulous, confident storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-skin-i-live-in) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 10 September 2011. Festival review. Goldberg finds the film initially slow and somewhat meandering, but says its audacious, narratively fitting twist ultimately delivers a powerful experience. He praises the twist and the way the film explores identity, imprisonment, and self-deception, while noting that the story struggles to regain focus afterward. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-skin-i-live-in-review/) ## Paste — Dan Kaufman Rating 8.7. 10 October 2011. Kaufman finds the film engaging and sharply told, with a satisfying ending. He praises its economical storytelling and carefully paced mystery, while noting that it may not be as deep as it thinks. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-skin-i-live-in) ## Eye for Film — David Graham Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2011. Graham calls it a brave, imaginative film that rewards adventurous viewers, despite some emotional misses and underwhelming horror. He especially praises Almodóvar’s control of the grotesque story and Elena Anaya’s intriguing performance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-skin-i-live-in-film-review-by-david-graham) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-skin-i-live-in.md