Not only skin deep

The Skin I Live In (2011) - dir. Pedro Almodóvar - 5 stars

Prolific Spanish director tells a grim tale of love and revenge intertwined with queer identity and more twists than any other Almodóvar film to date.  In its treatment of time and film noir elements, the film harkens back to “Bad Education,” but Almodóvar manages to delve into a form of queer identity he had never dwelled on previously, which renders “the Skin I Live In” as a unique and worthwhile film.  All in all, maravilloso.

Robert (Antonio Banderas) is a very successful plastic surgeon who specializes in skin transplants for burn patients.  His dedication to his career is also fuelled by his past life, which isn’t the rosiest of stories.  When his professional intentions cross paths with his personal desire to replicate and take revenge, he is propelled into a spiral where he ventures into uncharted territory with his new research.  Research soon becomes personal though for both captive and captor as the psychological impact of his actions take root deeper than the skin he’s fashioning.

The script is as tight as it can get with a good supply of comedic breaks, the signature of Almodóvar .  Without this lighter treatment, the film could have ended up on the horror side.  What probably attracted Almodóvar to this multi-faceted story wasn’t the horror piece though but more the identity and personal revenge aspects.  All characters have a deep and genuine grudge against another which serves as a rich springboard for them to play out their destinies.  Of course, they’re are all interlinked with each other so there is rarely an exact definition of good or evil in the film so no judgements can easily be made, again a signature of Almodóvar.  It is rather a fantastic study in forced identity which easily steals the spotlight from the cast despite the brilliant acting by Antonio Banderas and long-time Almodóvar diva Marisa Paredes.

Almodóvar's consistency in the depth of his stories is staggering, and his frequent excursions in film are equally rewarding.  “The Skin I Live In” is no exception with its unique subject matter of forced sexual identity and proves to be a film that will become a classic of his oeuvre. 

Sunday stroll...

Last weekend, I took a stroll along the canals in London. I started from Victoria Park and went to Haggerston stopping by Columbia Road flower market and Broadway Market on my way. Along the way, I ended up becoming friends with a cat, getting some nice tea and listening to a great band playing some of the best folk blues I had listened to in a while...all of which sit in my photo gallery on DeviantArt now. It was just like my other Sunday strolls in my neighbourhood, but this time spring had come and the sun was shining. Hope you can feel the warm glow in the photos.  Check them out here.

the Masquerade

The Venice Carnival has been brought back from the dead by the Italian government in the 70s to reinstate the Venetian tradition of the mask and costume, which was only allowed to be worn during specific times of the year due to the 'immoral' behavior mask-bearers would indulge in.  But most likely, the revival of this carnival was to promote tourism. I must say it works, as I found myself in the narrow cobbled streets  of Venice last weekend during the last three days of the carnival.

Despite the annoying number of annoying tourists in the city, I could get some great shots of men and women donning their most elaborate costumes and masks (check out my DeviantArt gallery for the photos).  There is something magical and a bit eerie in the way they hold themselves - very still with only the slightest of movements.  For most of them, I couldn't even see their eyes behind their full-face masks, called bautas.  I could only see blank, black holes that looked out at me.  The background of gondolas, San Marco, and the aquatic city just made the whole experience very cinematic.

I created a video from my trip to highlight this eerie feeling of statuesque poses and slight movements that belie it all.  Check it out on Vimeo! Link here.

"I couldn't even see her eyes moving behind the bauta. Her statuesque pose echoed the city's stillness. Then the slightest of movements - a nod, a shift of the fingers, a footstep - gave away what lay underneath the mask and the costume. It was in those fleeting moments that Venice came to be as it once was. Every man and woman in a masquerade ball pretending; a carnival celebrating the Venetian tradition of anonymity."

"Miniature Adventure" - a Photomotion Roadtrip

I finally decided to challenge myself with a Vimeo Weekend Project now that I have my DSLR. My first attempt can be seen at this link.  The rules were simple: to create a video of any length using Vanchy's "Catching The Simple But Happy Days (Electronica road song)" on SoundCloud.

After four hours of taking photos of millimetric movements, I had my first submission. Video consists of ~1,500 stills. Shot entirely on Nikon D7000 with Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4 G and Nikon 18-105mm VR lenses. Edited and color graded in Final Cut Pro.

A groovy mascot goes on a road trip his own size.  Check it out on Vimeo!  Link here.  Looking forward to feedback in general as I'm still learning my DSLR and the new methods with which I can create video.  Constructive criticism welcome!

On the way to Cinematography...

I am fascinated by the camera and how it emulates how the human eye sees the world.  From aperture to shutter speed, SLR technology allows us to capture the exact moments in time that we see.  Even tough my main goal is to work in cinematography, I am delving into stills photography to understand the workings of the camera better.  As such, I have established a new gallery on DeviantART where I'll be posting my best photography work.  I will also try to post and tweet informational blogs and articles on the subject that I read.  The first one to come will be on the 180 degree rule in shooting video with a DSLR.

Until then, enjoy my first work: a portrait of Deniz Harut. Below is a low resolution version of the image, which you can view in full resolution on DeviantART here.