Nice Almodóvar film revolving around a a nutty doctor (Antonio Banderas) who creates a type of synthetic skin and attempts to remake the bruised body of beloved beings , then , he kidnaps people . Moody terror movie about a mad doctor , assisted by a maid (Marisa Paredes) , removes the structure of a gorgeous women and attempts to graft her skin onto her body . His guinea pig results to be a brave and rebel girl (Elena Anaya) , but this patient is very closely linked to dramatic deeds from past he would like to forget , then things go wrong .

Austerily wonderful mysterious film that contains intense drama , thrills , chills , and haunting poetic fantasy . In this enjoyable as well as eerie flick , Almodóvar established again his uniquely poetic and visually striking style , though imitating to classy "Eyes Without A Face" (1960) , the masterpiece directed by George Franju . This is a similar story but revisited by Pedro with his ordinary roles and situations , including rape , kink sex , strong love scenes and marvelous actresses . This splendid Spanish production is generally characterized by unforgettable images that owed a great deal to early cinema in general . Engaging and twisted script Pedro Almodóvar based on Thierry Jonquet's novel . Pedro worked on the script for almost a decade, and what initially was a retelling ended up being more of an inspired tale . The story is not massively strong , but it is not bad either , as Almodóvar strings a few o different threads together and that , along with tension and skin going on throughout tends to ensure the movie is always interesting and thrilling . The music by Oscar winner Alberto Iglesias , Almodovar's regular , is good in which it fits the style and feeling of the film . Luxurious and colorful cinematography by the prestigious José Luis Alcaine .The cast is also standout element of the film , as Pedro recasts Banderas in the character of unsettling doctor . Antonio Banderas is brilliant as a disturbing researcher/scientific/surgeon haunted by past tragedy who takes people removing their faces and attempts to graft them new skins . Support cast is frankly good , such as : Roberto Álamo , Eduard Fernández , Barbara Lennie , José Luis Gómez , Jan Cornet , Blanca Suárez , Susi Sánchez , Fernando Cayo . And brief appearance , as usual , by Agustin Almodóvar , Pedro's brother and film producer . .

This issue about a doctor who attempts to remake the bruised face of intimate people has been treated several times in the European cinema , such as : ¨Eyes without a face¨ (1960) by George Franju , ¨The windmill of the stone women¨ by Giorgo Ferroni . And especially by the prolific writer/producer/director Jesús Franco who shot : The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) deemed to be the first movie of the ¨Spanish Fantaterror¨ and following a long series as El Secreto del Dr. Orloff (1964) aka "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" - USA . It's gone on by " Orloff y el hombre invisible (1970) aka "Dr. Orloff's Invisible Monster" , ¨Ojos siniestros de Doctor Orloff¨(1973) . Furthermore , El enigma Del Ataúd (1969) aka "Only a Coffin" and El Siniestro doctor Orloff (1984) aka "The Sinister Dr. Orloff . Finally in ¨Faceless¨ or Depredadores de Noche¨(1987) .

Considering the film is by Pedro Almodóvar, I expected it to be quite graphic and challenging to watch--as he has a history of making films that shock the average viewer. Rape, lots of nudity, murder, drug use, copious amounts of blood, a wide variety of sex acts, insanity, sex change surgery completed against a patient's will and many, many other VERY unsavory things await you. In other words, it's par for the course for the director--but also a film that perhaps deserved an NC-17 rating--as it's a bit more intense and kinky than a typical R-rated film--even if it doesn't have the crotch shots you'd expect in an NC-17 film.

The story is VERY complicated. So complicated that perhaps it might help if you pull up the Wikipedia summary and follow along as you watch. It's about a bizarro doctor that performs a VERY weird experiment--and what this is all about you only discover later in the film. If I tell much more of the plot, it will spoil the kinky surprises--and there is a doozy. Suffice to say, the Doctor (Antonio Banderas) has a lot of 'splaining to do!

So is the film any good? Yes--just like any other Almodóvar film. Plus, for a change, it's a horror movie and a mystery film put together--not the usual warped comedy you might expect from him. But I must warn you--not only is the plot bizarrely sick but it is not a pleasant nor enjoyable film to watch. Understand that it is quite disturbing and....well....weird. I did not love the film and the twist left me feeling a bit queasy...but a well made film nonetheless. You won't mistake this for a Disney film! Watch at your own risk.

A brilliant plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas),haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands all kinds of damage. His experimental patient is a mysterious and volatile woman (Elena Anaya) who holds the key to his obsession.

This is surely a Pedro Almodóvar film, but it's disturbing even by Pedro's standards. The flashback sequence will seem very convoluted at first, but you need to stick with it. Eventually, it gets to a beautiful compelling crazy place and the home of sexual icky obsessions. If you're an Almodóvar film fan, it'll be a very familiar place. I loath to say much more in case I spoil it.