Movie Review – La piel que habito (Finding the Real Me in the Skin)

The movie La piel que habito asks deep questions about human identity and bioethics through the symbol of skin. Through the wrongs committed by the main characters and the price they pay, it explores the meaning of life and the nature of humanity, ultimately leaving you with questions about who you are.

 

The movie’s original Spanish title, La piel que habito, raises many philosophical questions right from the title. If you watch the movie and focus on the verb “to live” and the noun “skin,” you’ll get a deeper understanding of its meaning. The symbolism implied by the title is revealed throughout the movie and serves as an important key to exploring the identity and boundaries of human existence.
Before we talk about the central theme of “skin,” let’s think about the recurring theme of “wrongdoing” and the “price” that comes with it, as the film explores how human wrongdoing can have a profound impact on our lives and how we must pay for it. Robert’s wife, Gal, suffers full-body burns as a result of his affair with Zeca, and eventually ends her life by suicide. Zeca rapes Vera and is then shot by Dr. Robert. Dr. Robert conducts experiments that ignore bioethics, which also reveal his twisted form of love. Marilia looks the other way, and eventually Robert and Marilia meet a miserable end when Robert is shot by Vincente (who is trapped inside Vera’s skin). Interestingly, Vincente also rapes Norma, but ultimately survives and is reunited with Cristina and her mother. In this way, the film suggests that the relationship between wrongdoing and reward is a complex ethical issue that goes beyond mere crime and punishment. The intensity of wrongdoing and the appropriate level of “payback” are not clearly answered in the film, leaving the audience to ponder.
Let’s take a deeper look at Robert’s ‘twisted love’. We need to consider what Robert thought of his wife, Gal, and whether the feelings he had for Vera were true love. When Gal cheats on him and suffers full-body burns, Robert treats and cares for her, but locking her in a dark room with no mirrors so she can’t see herself isn’t just about protecting her. It could be seen as an expression of Robert’s desire to control those around him, including Gal. His later imprisonment of Vera also illustrates this tendency. Robert is a character who cannot tolerate situations that are out of his control, and this is evident in his panicked reaction to Vera’s suicide attempt. In addition, when Robert is in a relationship with Vera, he uses affectionate language with her, such as “I don’t want you to be sick. I want you to hold me,” and other affectionate remarks. In this case, Vera has Gal’s face, her “skin,” and the question remains as to whether Robert loves Vera’s skin, her outward appearance, or whether he loves her with Vincente’s consciousness.

 

 

When we get down to it, it’s Vera’s skin that offers the most meaning in the movie. She is chosen as a test subject for Robert’s ‘obsession’, an artificial skin. Robert names this artificial skin “Gal,” his wife, implying that he has created a new being by combining his past and his obsession. Vera is designed from the beginning to be a being with Gal’s face and the skin that bears her name. Eventually, Vincente comes to live in Vera’s skin. When Vincente takes on Vera’s skin, that is, when Vincente becomes “Vera,” he leaves a lot of writing on the wall, including dates. One of the words highlighted in close-up in the movie is “Respiro” (to breathe). It’s worth considering the relationship between this word and the movie’s title, “habito” (to live). In the end, Vincente “lives” in Vera’s skin. He is transformed into a being in Vera’s skin who does what Robert wants him to do, who earns his trust and is allowed to go out with him. But in the end, Vincente, as a “breathing” being, recognizes that he is Vincente and not Vera, breaks his promise to Robert, escapes, and confirms his identity to his mother and Cristina. Whether he will be able to live as Vincente remains in question, but his fate is complicated by the fact that he must continue his life in the shell of Vera, a skin created by Robert.

 

 

The film also offers many other narratives, such as Robert’s critique of the bioethics of altering the properties of human skin to create artificial skin, the symbolic meaning of Norma and Vera’s actions in ripping off their clothes, the reasons for Vincente’s change in attitude, and the sexualized image Vincente is trying to convey through the gesture of cupping the mannequin’s breasts while changing her clothes. The complex ethical and philosophical issues in the film are not just for viewing, but are meant to provoke thought and discussion. I conclude by emphasizing that this is a fascinating film with a variety of devices and symbols that can be viewed multiple times to discover new meanings.