Seconda pelle

his Spanish exploration of love and family centers on Alberto (Jordi Molla from Blow and Bad Boys II). A successful family man at an aeronautics firm, he finds himself in a passionate love affair with Diego (Javier Bardem), a confident physician. Diego is comfortable with his homosexuality and is madly in love with Alberto. Alberto, who can't deny his love for Diego, doesn't want to admit that he is gay and struggles with his desires. Alberto's wife Elena (Ariadna Gil) tries to understand the reservedness and lack of sexual interest in her husband. When she finds out, she's not very happy about it, he is her true love and what will she do? A sudden event alters all three lives, leading to compassionate conclusion.

I really like Adriana Gil, known in Spain for taking new, difficult roles, but Javier Bardem carries the show, I've never seen an actor express so much with his face and hands. Truly an amazing actor. Jordi Molla did a good job, but since he always plays a slimeball in American movies, it is hard to move past that character.

This movie is like a pear. I've got a pear right now sitting on my desk, trying to ripen. I'm looking forward to the juicy, grainy pulp that will hopefully develop as it sits there. Often though, it doesn't fully ripen before some parts start to spoil, so you eat it a little underdone. That's how this movie felt. Some good situations pregnant with emotion, but not developed to the extent I would have liked. 6/10

http://blog.myspace.com/locoformovies

This film has caused a lot of controversy in its native Spain. It is establishing a trend in Spanish films exploiting gay themes by casting some of the country's most popular male stars as lovers to lure viewers, therefore appealing to voyeurism. This "gayploitation" has been going on for over a decade in Spanish cinema. In fact, it's hard to name an established Spanish actor who hasn't appeared in at least one gay role. However, in most cases, these roles or their sexuality have been secondary. In SEGUNDA PIEL, however, it's full steam ahead as the film centers around these two stars' relationship, and features very graphic sex scenes between the two stars. Whether this film is voyeuristic or not is certainly up to the viewer to decide.

I found myself feeling very annoyed with Alberto throughout the movie. From the very beginning you could see he was trying to find himself even after he had been married with a child already. But even after he knew he didn't truly, deep down within himself love Elena, he was still so selfish as he didn't want to let her go and be free to find someone that could love her the way she deserved to be loved. He wanted his bread buttered both sides because he did the same thing with Diego. Although, in this case Diego wouldn't take no for an answer and was extremely persistent, Alberto would still string him along and give him false hope just so that he wouldn't have to be alone with himself to actually make decisions about his life and who he truly is, what it is he actually wants and then be able to free the people around him that he has been holding down for so long. I loved the ending where he dies because it was like a huge, but tragic weight has been lifted off both Elena and Diego's shoulders because now they weren't hurting anyone by wanting to be with a man that doesn't know what he, himself wants. I know it sounds harsh that I enjoyed him dying off but his character was just awful and he was messing with people's emotions, which isn't acceptable anywhere or with anyone. I found it quite surprising to see how well Elena and Diego got along with each other even before he died. It may have been as civil as it was because the person she was being cheated on with was the same set as her husband which was probably a lot to take in and so it seems she needed the confrontation and the face to face to actually make her thoughts and feelings a reality, that this was actually happening to her. But even then, they still did not lash out at each other or even exchange harsh words. To me, this goes to show the kind of people, or rather, the kind of character they have played. Which would be kind, compassionate and understanding and that is why they put up with him until his last day.

This is a dramatic, very realistic story about the internal strife of a bisexual man, torn between his beautiful wife and child and his desire for romance with a Gay surgeon. Well photographed and directed with excellent music. Excellent beach scenery. Explicit sex scenes are well done. The emotional pain of the 'bisexual' man (more likely a Gay man who married to please his parents and conform to societal pressures) is very graphically and honestly portrayed. The damage that his refusal to deal with his identity crisis causes both his wife and his lover is also honestly shown. Javier Bardem is excellent as the surgeon and Adriana Gil as the wife is stunningly beautiful.

For all it's shortcomings, "Seguna Piel" is entertaining in a Lifetime movie kind of way, with some of the most overwrought background music you'll hear in this kind of film.

As someone else here noted, the character of the husband is underwritten to the point where you can't imagine why his wife or male lover waste their time on him. This isn't helped by the more vibrant performances of Javier Bardem as the gay lover and the actress who plays the wife. The husband comes off like a shallow, self-centered, spoiled child. Only at the end does he reveal himself as the conflicted, angry, self-hating man that he is, but it's too much info too late at that point.

Yes the sex scenes - one in particular near the beginning - are steamy, but the drama itself is pure soap.