In The Skin I Live In, director Pedro Almodovar tells the story of a plastic surgeon named Robert Ledgard (played by Antonio Banderas). He is trying to create artificial skin that could be used to treat burn victims. The film is a masterpiece of suspense and intrigue. And it culminates in a shocking ending that leaves audiences wondering what exactly happened. In this article, we will explore The Skin I Live In ending explained and try to make sense of it all.
This Almodóvar film is based upon Thierry Jonquet’s book “Mygale”. Furthermore, it’s a horror film without any elements of slasher violence. And that’s what makes this film so shocking and appalling. Much like Almodóvar’s film, it is filled with aspects of sexuality, depravity, perversion, and power. So, let’s embark with him on this voyage through the mind of a sickened doctor.
The Skin I Live In Plot
Roberto is a very successful and wealthy plastic surgeon. What’s his focus of research? Human skin and its beauty. Moreover, he wishes to develop a synthetic form of skin that’s resistant to insect bites and burns. So, as his interest grows, so does his research, and eventually, he wants to test it out on humans. And when he discloses this to a colleague, he’s chastised and criticized for the ethical implications of this endeavor.
In his lavish secluded mansion, he keeps a young girl named Vera captive. And he has a servant named Marilia who helps him in his day-to-day. One day, Marilia’s estranged son, Zeca, enters the mansion seeking shelter after committing a robbery. He takes notice of Vera on a security camera screen and asks Marilia to let him see her. Marilia says, “no way”. So what does the good son do? He ties his mom up. And proceeds to sexually abuse Vera. Then, Roberto comes home and kills Zeca.
What is The Link Between Roberto Ledgard And Zeca?
It turns out that after Vera’s rape, Marilia reveals to her that Roberto and Zeca are brothers. Marilia’s former employers were, in fact, Roberto’s foster parents, but she raised him. And Zeca and Roberto simply took different life paths. One became a thief and the other a doctor. Moreover, in a flashback scene, the doctor met a woman named Gal and had a baby girl with her named Norma. Zeca once came back, and Gal ran off with him, but they had an accident, and Gal was badly burnt. Also, Zeca fled, thinking Gal was dead.
Since Gal was disfigured, she lived in a house without mirrors and in total darkness, but one day, she hears Norma in the garden. She goes to take a look and sees her reflection in the window. And terrorized by what she’s become, she commits suicide.
What Happens To Vera?
Ledgard reappears in the present and spends the night with Vera. He has dreams about his past, specifically about the night of a wedding six years ago, when he discovers Norma (his daughter) unconscious on the ground. Norma, who had been taking medication for psychosis after witnessing her mother’s suicide, believes Ledgard raped her when she woke up with him above her; she develops a fear of all men and spends years in a mental institution. She eventually commits suicide in the same way her mother did.
The Skin I Live In Trailer
Vicente’s Angle
Vera has visions of this same event. A man named Vicente shows up at Norma’s wedding, goes into the garden, and sexually advances on her after a chat about psychiatric medications. Vicente tries to quiet her screams, but she bites his hand. He slaps her across the face, knocking her out. Just as Ledgard arrives, he rearranges her clothes and flees the scene, nervously scanning the area for potential witnesses; he is unaware that Ledgard notices him leaving on his motorcycle.
Vicente is tracked down by Ledgard, who, disguised, knocks him off his motorcycle, kidnaps him, and holds him captive. Vicente’s mother informs the police of his disappearance, but when they discover his bike at the bottom of a cliff, they tell her that he is most likely dead and has been swept out to sea. Her search for her son continues, despite her belief that he is still alive.
A Drastic Change
Meanwhile, Ledgard operated against his will, giving him a forced sex-change operation. Vicente fights to keep himself sane and hold on to the core of his true identity during this time. Marilia returns to Ledgard’s house after a four-year absence to look after Vera (Vicente). Vera tells Marilia that he has been imprisoned for the past six years.
Jump To The Present
Marilia distrusts Vera. One of Ledgard’s coworkers, Fulgencio, reads a news story about Vicente’s disappearance and recognizes him as one of their sex-change patients, so he confronts Ledgard, but Vera disavows him. Later, Vera sees a picture of himself as Vicente in a newspaper, and something clicks inside his mind. During a passionate sex night with Ledgard, she makes a distraction and kills him with his gun. Then kills Marilia, who says “I knew it” in her dying words.
The Skin I Live In Ending Explained
Overall, Vera was a survivor of a wicked man’s perversions who had to resort to violence to end a vicious cycle of abuse. He was miserable and wanted to die, conflicted with a life-changing event that he had never agreed to before, and couldn’t fight his abuser. So, he had to wait until the right time to take vengeance and then live the rest of his life under the wrong skin. Hence the title. This is it for The Skin I Live In Ending.
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