Second Skin

 

 

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This movie came across to me much like a telenovela(soap opera), full of drippy melodrama and a musical score that was way over the top. If you are reading these customer reviews you probably already have the gist of the plot. Elena and Al are married with one child and Al is having an affair with Diego. If there is a twist from the telenovela formula it is that Diego and Al are both men. I got this movie because I like Javier Bardem as an actor and knew nothing of the storyline,otherwise I may have chosen to pass. I'm far from a prude but I must admit this was a most uncomfortable movie to watch. I think I would have died if one of my sons or their friends had come in and seen me watching this movie; nothing could explain what was going on the screen. It is from my perspective not one to watch with your children by any means, unless of course you are far more liberal than me. I asked my wife if she wanted to see it and she read the synopsis and said, "no, I've seen enough gay movies." Up to this point I was unaware of what I was in for! When the "hot steamy" scenes came on I wanted to crawl under my couch least someone walk in. It made me feel terribly uncomfortable. Two naked men writhing about like snakes, intertangled in each others embrace and kissing, leaving not much for the imagination was too much for me. As I thought about what they were doing I felt a bit disgusted. I had never seen something like that and hope never to again. I just would like to warn other like minded people, who are open to gays but don't necessarily want to see their lifestyle that this movie pushes the envelope. The movie carries on with the dillema faced by the three people involved and eventually things get tragically resolved. Very good acting, especially Javier Bardem but for the most part but the characters and storyline was lacking in substance. I cannot say it was an enjoyable movie but rather a curious bit of filmmaking pushing an agenda. Get the movie if you like but be forwarned of the nudity and gay "lovemaking" scenes or if you are so inclined get it because of those scenes. The scenes that bothered me aside, the movie was ok but nothing great.

With SEGUNDA PIEL or Second Skin Gerardo Vera joins the ranks of such luminaries as Pedro Almadovar in achieving flawless vignettes of Spanish storytelling. He has assembled a cast of some of the finest actors on the screen today and manages to present a wholly credible story of a gender crisis love triangle.
Javier Bardem is inimitable as a sensitively wrought gay surgeon in love with a bisexual man (again, in a brilliant performance by Jordi Molla) who is married to a wise if fragile woman (sensitively acted by Ariadna Gil). Bardem's best friend is a fellow surgeon (the wondrous Cecilia Roth) who helps him through the highs and lows of his love affair with a man who is conflicted to the extreme. To tell more of the story would be to deprive the viewer of the impact. Suffice it to say that with the consistently excellent performances by this stunning quartet under the ever sensitive eye of Vera, this is a film to see again and again. Why is it that American actors have so much difficulty playing gay men? These two Spanish actors, coming from a society that is machismo, still make their lovers wholly believable and sensusal.
Bravo!

this is a difficult topic -most directors will not like to deal with the "gay" topic especially when it is so physical in nature on screen. So from that perspective it is a great work - at least somebody has tried . Sometimes it is little bit of over acting - but as a whole you will enjoy it. I think the major improvement could have been in the script. some of the facts like the child does not show up in his father's funeral really bothered me.

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3.0 out of 5 stars HUH? WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
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ok, by now you guys already know what the film is all about so i won't get into it. let's just go ahead and talk about it.

the acting? good. Lisez davantage

Published on July 8 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Very erotic sex scene between Javier Bardem and Jordi Molla
The love scenes between Javier Bardem and Jordi Molla are tender and the most erotic I've seen in a foreign motion picture, not even American motion pictures will show two men... Lisez davantage

Published on May 13 2003 by James McDonald

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
I really had looked forward to this movie. Having seen Javier Burdem in "Before Night Falls" I was thrilled that he was appearing in another (supposedly) intense "gay-themed"... Lisez davantage

Published on April 23 2003 by GEORGE RANNIE

4.0 out of 5 stars Bardem: fearless; Molla: even better; the ending: a copout
First of all, if you made it here, congratulations! This movie is hard to find. Released in Spain as "Segunda Piel" and in the UK/US as "Second Skin," amazon. Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 14 2003 by Andy Orrock

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't stop watching it
I could not stop watching this movie. The acting was superb. Javier Bardem, Jordi Molla, and Ariandna Gil did awesome jobs of acting. Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 14 2003 by Kimberly A. Allen

5.0 out of 5 stars Put Far From Heaven far from your mind and see this instead
It's a shame that Far From Heaven got the press and nods because Second Skin is a far more realistic portrayal of life for a gay married man. Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 11 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Steamy drama starring Javier Bardem
"Second Skin" is the follow up film to Javier Bardem's Academy Award Nominated performance for Best Actor in "Before Night Falls" . Lisez davantage

Published on Feb 27 2003

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