Overview
A gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the consequences of a single moment.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- passionate
- volatile
- melodramatic
- arthouse movie night
- adult drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's emotionally raw performances, cinematic craft, and unusual fusion of erotic melodrama with thriller suspense, while finding its structure more restrained and mature than some of Almodóvar's earlier work.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The accidental shooting involving Víctor, David, Elena, and Sancho determines the film's passionate and fearful emotional trajectory.
Víctor's obsession with Elena and the characters' adultery and revenge entangle desire with irreversible consequences.
The shooting, imprisonment, marriage, disability, and release from prison repeatedly bring the central characters into one another's lives.
Madrid's streets, buses, domestic spaces, and nightlife provide the urban setting for the characters' crossings and confrontations.
Films like Live Flesh, and why
Basic Instinct
shared erotic thriller tension, melodramatic emotional intensity, and morally compromised characters
The Last Seduction
shared adult romance, sexual obsession, crime-driven suspense, and psychological volatility
The Handmaiden
shared passionate melodrama, intertwined destinies, and crime reshaping intimate relationships
Damage
shared transgressive romance, revenge themes, and heightened but emotionally serious thriller elements
Movie Details
- Director
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Release Date
- 1997-10-10
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (768)
Cast
- Javier Bardem
- Francesca Neri
- Liberto Rabal
- Ángela Molina
- José Sancho
- Penélope Cruz
- Pilar Bardem
- Álex Angulo
- Mariola Fuentes
- Yael Be
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Live Flesh about?
- A passionate Madrid melodrama follows a released prisoner whose fixation on a married woman reignites the consequences of a life-altering shooting.
- What is Live Flesh like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Live Flesh as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Live Flesh violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Live Flesh as mild.
- What did critics think of Live Flesh?
- Critics broadly praised the film's emotionally raw performances, cinematic craft, and unusual fusion of erotic melodrama with thriller suspense, while finding its structure more restrained and mature than some of Almodóvar's earlier work.
- Which films are like Live Flesh?
- Films with a similar feel include Basic Instinct, The Last Seduction, The Handmaiden, and Damage.
- How long is Live Flesh?
- Live Flesh runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Live Flesh?
- In United States, Live Flesh is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
