Taxidermia

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Faz @ The Cathay Picturehouse (19/05)
Snacks: None

wow. wowee. wow.

i don't mean that in a bad good way. nor in a bad way.
i just mean it in a wow wowee wow way.
seriously.

this movie is basically about 3 different men from 3 different generations.
(all 3 Hungarians by the way)
and their stories are told in 3 different short snippets where each others' fates and such are intertwined somehow. sadly.

the first story set in WWII is of Vendel Morosgoványi (Csaba Czene) who is a servant soldier to the no-nonsense army officer.
this bleak life leads to Morosgoványi being a horny perv who peeps at and wanks off to sights and fantasies of his officer's wife and children.
he's basically a sicko.

second story is of his (Morosgoványi) son, champion speed-eater Kálmán Balatony (Gergely Trócsányi) and his wife Gizi Aczél (Adél Stanczel) who are champions in their field but struggling to cope with the rigours and pressures of the 'sport' of speed-eating.

last but not least we have the story of his (Balatony) son, the taxidermist Lajoska Balatony (Marc Bischoff).
possibly the weakest of the 3 generations, Lajos is a freak who is shy and twisted not only because of his profession but also his family history.
with his mother gone, his father Kálmán (who is now a monstrous size) is more than overbearing and this leads to rather drastic turns.

this isn't your typical movie.
in fact this isn't even your typical art-house movie.
director György Pálfi's vision is unmistakable in this movie but i reckon a lot of people might not even be able to stomach it let alone stand it.

i'll have to admit this movie is rated R(A) for a very good reason.
it is grotesque. mind-numbing. disturbing. shocking. genius.
this movie will make you cringe, laugh and even turn away at times.
it is a surreal movie with not-your-average plots or characters but it really does show us the banalaties of life - albeit in a surreal way.
and just some advice. it's NOT a first-date movie oright.

i WAS going to give this movie a failing mark.
then i gave it some thought.

i leave you with some (disturbing) images from the movie.

Final Verdict: