While Live Flesh was marketed as an erotic
thriller, it's actually much, much more. The film shows how
the lives of five people are less woven together as braided
together, continually affecting one another's lives and relationships.
When Víctor (Liberto Rabal) accidentally
paralyzes police officer David (Javier Bardem) in a row over
his crush Elena (Francesca Neri) it sets into motion a connection
between all three of them (and David's partner and the partner's
wife) which will last nearly ten years and have unexpected results.
Upon his release from prison six years later, he sets out to
exact revenge on Elena and David, now husband and wife, in a
very unique and sinister way. In the course of his vengeance,
he becomes involved with Clara (Ángela Molina) who is
the wife of David's former partner, and begins to work in the
children's shelter Elena runs. The complexities and intricacies
of the resulting relationships can only be explained by the
film itself, and I don't want to ruin the clever twists Almodóvar
provides, but if what I've described here seems confusing, wait
to see how the film plays out.
In many ways, the film is less an erotic thriller
than it is a Noir, made in a non-Noir style. There's no harsh
lighting, nor a seductive femme fatale, but the heart of the
film centers on the evil men do, and the women that make them
do it, and it has all the steamy plotting and backstabbing of
the best Raymond Chandler novel. Almodóvar was wise to
make the film in a standard, non-genre-specific style, though,
because it allows the story to stand on its own, without sixty
years of influences crowding the viewer's perception.
I'll admit, I was disappointed at the lack of
sex in the film, given the previews I had seen, and the title
of the film (which better translated from Spanish would be "trembling
flesh.") But this is another smart decision on Almodóvar's
part. A larger focus on sex would have lessened the impact of
the plot itself, and the time saved by leaving out the extended
and sometimes graphic sex scenes that are common in many European
art films provided additional time to delve into the characters
and their motivations. That being said, the sex scenes included
are not only extremely erotic, creative, and beautiful, but
they never seem either unnecessary or overdone.
Almodóvar's masterful direction aside,
the film is packed with top-noth performances. The film begins
with a small role by Penélope Cruz which was too small
in my opinion. The main five characters who are the focus of
the rest of the film are all stellar, from Javier Bardem's coping
paraplegic, to José Sancho's possessive and jealous husband,
the men set the stage perfectly for the women. In reaction to
their built-up, unfulfilled passion, both Clara and Elena are
led to stray (ironically, or perhaps intentionally) into the
arms of the same man. And what a man he is. Although Liberto
Rabal may not have achieved the same international acclaim as
Bardem or Cruz, he steals the show in Live Flesh. Not only is
it hot to watch him as the "greatest lover in all the world,"
but the emotion he shows (and withholds) throughout the film
is the driving force behind the movie's action.
With Live Flesh, Pedro Almodóvar
has created an intricate and interesting web of desire, betrayal,
and guilt which not only ties lives together, but pulls them
apart. A break from his typical style and subject-matter, this
film is a must-see for any fan of Almodóvar, as well
as Spanish cinema, and movies in general.
