Taxidermia (****)
review by Jon
Waterman
Morosgovanyi is a low-ranking official that has been assigned
to help at his commanding officer’s farm. He’s
kept in a tiny shack where he indulges himself in various perverse
fantasies. His sexual addictions eventually lead to an illegitimate
child. Kalman Balatomy is a competitive eater. His hunger for
food is only surpassed by his appetite for Gizi. These two
larger than life parents have a scrawny young child named Lajos.
Lajos, who looks like a Hungarian Crispin Glover, runs a taxidermy
shop and takes care of his severely obese father and equally
gargantuan cats. This leaves very little time to attempt to
have any sort of normal life at all; however considering the
history of the family, it’s tough to say he would ever
have a chance at that.
If “Jackass:
The Movie" had a story, I have a feeling
this would be pretty close to it. This is the most bizarrely
fascinating movie I’ve seen since “Journey
Into Bliss.” Although “Taxidermia” may not be
as surreal and trippy as “Journey,” it certainly
leaves an equally large impression that is simply impossible
to shake. And that’s a good thing. Right from the start
you get an idea of what type of movie you’ve found yourself
watching. The perverted private places a flame up to his scarred
lip and intimately plays with a chicken through a tiny hole
in the wall. Where it really hooked me was when he goes into
this fantasy sequence where a little girl walks around in a
live action pop-up book. The scene is not only visually stunning,
but also indicative of how the film’s unusual and grotesque
nature is presented so beautifully.
The film revels in its oddity and grossness, and it’s
certainly not for anyone with a weak stomach or those easily
offended. You’ll be treated to graphic animal violence
(staged), graphic sex including brief shots of penetration
(and the climax shooting up to become a star in the sky), a
kid with a tail, and a simply amazing vomiting effect. I really
want to know how that was done (it’s a pretty damn funny
scene to top it off). If you think you can handle it, it is
certainly worth your time. The movie uses the disgusting, yet
strangely compelling storylines to further complement the compelling
visuals.
The cinematography by Gergely Pohárnok (camera man & co-writer
of “Black
Brush”) is just flashy enough to avoid
coming across as a gimmick or as if it’s overcompensating
for any potential faults in the rest of the picture. The dynamic
camerawork perfectly complements the fast-moving story filled
with eccentric characters. And while normally I’m not
a huge fan of using different color palettes for different
scenes or segments, here it works well. Each era seems to get
even cruder, if that’s possible. The color scheme loses
its luster and polish.
I really got to hand it to the director Pálfi György
(“Hukkle”), who co-wrote the film with Zsófia
Ruttkay, because he probably amazed me more than anyone else
this year with this film. I never knew what direction is what
going to take. It was expertly crafted. The editing was fantastic.
The montages weren’t just slapped together. The make-up
looked wonderfully wretched. And the whole thing comes together
perfectly with one of the best climaxes I’ve seen in
a long time. If you can find this one, it’s certainly
worth a look. The only problem will be making sure you have
the stomach to keep looking. I couldn’t get enough.
respond to jon@filmbrats.com
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