La propera pell

A strange tale of the prodigal son : Gabriel (Alex Monner) returns to his home to find his mother (Emma Suarez) a widow and an uncle (the always reliable Sergi Lopès) ,who becomes jealous because he considers Gabriel ,the son, a rival .Which is not entirely false,because the mother/son relationship is oedipian ,and thus may explain the short homosexual scene with Joan,a pal who knows (too) many things about the teenager's past .

In fact , the screenwriters allows some doubt to remain about the so called son's identity ("she would have welcomed a daughter!" uncle (mom's lover) claims ); and if the boy seems to remember his childhood's friend , there's a (black) gap in his memory,as far as his late father is concerned ; the screenplay is sometimes not firm enough , in this story with echoes of Tennessee Williams ;also handicapped by very dark scenes ,the cinematography sometimes leaving something to be desired .

In spite of these reservations , " la propera pell" can be recommended ; the Gabriel/youth worker is more complex than it appears at first sight : the man tells his protégé that he ,too, was a teenager with a past he wants to forget (this is a cliché, but it avoids pathos and sentimentality). The snow-covered mountains are shrouded in a shady atmosphere and an impending threat hangs on the hero ;the mother ,a woman from the south ,longs for a sunny place (a metaphor). Bruno Todeschini 's lines are generally in French ,but 90% the lines are in Catalan.

It is easy to identify with a story this broad ... with the mystery of it and with the implication. It is easy to understand both sides ... well to a degree. Because we know or see how the return (or is it?) of someone affects not just one family, but many others.

Especially when that individual has certain issues he has to solve or understand himself. A movie for the mind ... with things you may not approve of (love wise and other... wise). Still the tension is there and it is more than well played. Low budget drama for those who care

really loved the way this film built up to the ending. All the cast was great and like many a Spanish movie, this did not disappoint. Highly recommend this movie. I wonder if these are other movies with Alex Monner in the lead. He brought out the anguish of the character without overdoing it!

I have just watched it on Netflix. I've yet to name a Spanish movie that I did not really like. May be it was "Leaving" (2009), Partir (original title), which I think is an exception, for Sergi López was a miscast. Everyone's acting in The Next Skin, including Sergi López were very good. I was really impressed with Àlex Monner performance. The film kept me engaged from the first minute through the very end. The tension was building up nicely and kept me guessing what the next scene was going to bring. I deeply cared about the characters. The ending was totally different from what I thought it would be. Overall The Next skin is a nicely made film I recommend to watch.

It's a movie with a simple plot, but it has enough depth to be interesting.