FAQ

Yes. The Skin I Live In is based on the French crime thriller Mygale, written by Thierry Jonquet in 1984. The novel was later released in the US and the UK in an English translation by Serpent's Tail, under the name Tarantula.

It's a family of large, hairy trap-door spiders with four lungs and four spinnerets. That the tarantula is part of the same species of arachnid is a misconception. The translation of the original novel's French name to Tarantula is likely the simplest way to translate the word, based on the similar appearance between the two species.

It's called Transgenesis; in the movie's case, the transplanting of genetic information from the cells of pigs into the cells of humans. Despite the alleged physiological benefits, this procedure is seen as 'playing God' with life and is very strictly prohibited and illegal under the ethical codes of all medical institutes throughout most countries in the world.

Gal was the first name of Dr. Ledgard's wife. Dr. Ledgard names the synthetic skin he's developed after her.