Almodovar says new film is unlike past works

Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar said his new movie which will take part at the Cannes Film Festival next month is unlike any other film which he has made so far.

The movie, "La Piel Que Habito" (The Skin I Live In) starring Antonio Banderas, is a tale of revenge centred on a plastic surgeon who tracks down the man who raped his daughter and the complex relationship that ensues.

"There is a distinct tone in the story and in the genre, I am not sure what genre it is since I blend them all up. It is very different from the rest of my cinematography," Almodovar said during an interview with Spanish public radio.

"It is the most austere movie which I have ever made. I am a bit embarassed to say it but I really like the movie we have made. It is a very complicated movie on paper."

"The Skin That I Inhabit", Almodovar's 18th feature-length film, will be among the 19 movies competing at the 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 11- 22.

It is based on the French crime novel "Mygale" by Thierry Jonquet.

Almodovar won the award for best screenplay at Cannes in 2006 for "Volver" and received the best director prize at the festival in 1999 for "All About my Mother" but he has never won the top honour at the film festival.