Taxidermia
I’ve always found it interesting when directors produce works of art that are so extreme that they end up getting ignored by almost everyone except the horror press. Think David Lynch with Inland Empire, Terry Gilliam with Tideland, Gaspar Noe with Irreversible, and David Cronenberg with Eastern Promises. None of these movies are horror movies per se, but they all do contain some really shocking elements coupled with an atmosphere that is too intense for your casual viewer.
Taxidermia by György Pálfi fits in very comfortably with this crowd; while the director is not nearly as accomplished as anyone else on this list he takes a big stride in their direction with what is only his second film. And again, this film is not a horror movie but the only people seeing it will be thrill seeking horror fans and the film festival crowd. Most other casual movie goers will probably never hear about it, or perhaps even give up half way through the film.
Why would they give up half way through the film you ask? Because it is a really demented meditation on human nature, painted with a palette of semen, bile, and blood. Think of it as something similar to Un Chien Andalou, a cinematic act of transgression steeped in dream logic and surreal visuals. Within the first few minutes of the movie I had already had my first “what the hell did I just see?!” moment, when a man ejaculates a pillar of flames from his erect penis after engaging in some sort of an erotic ritual with a lit candle. This is not just some throw away gag either, it is an introduction to the first character in this three part, multi generational story.
The first story is about a sexually frustrated Hungarian soldier and the cruel superior officer who works him like a slave. All day he performs chores and chops firewood so that the officer’s daughters can take warm baths, which the poor soldier has made a habit out of spying on. Still he understands that getting caught will get him killed, so he mostly indulges himself with bizarre and obscene fantasies in his rundown shack. Without giving too much away I can tell you that he eventually fathers a son, and this transgression comes with awful consequences.
The next story follows the soldier’s son, a rising star in the competitive eating circuit and an important cog in the communist propaganda machine. Scenes of plump “athletes” stuffing their face as quickly as possible are framed by flags, singing children, applauding diplomats and other nationalist fare.
And if it was not for the high speed consumption of disgusting food items (horse sausage anyone?) and the huge waves of vomiting between rounds this story would be a quite typical love triangle with two speed eaters competing for national glory, but also for the affections of a woman on the competitive eating scene. Eventually this conflict produces a child, and the film moves into its final act.
The final story may very well be the most surreal, following the frail and tiny son of the competitive eater. He has grown up to be a very accomplished albeit lonely taxidermist, who works hard to support his now impossibly obese father and the cats he overfeeds with cubes of lard. The father can’t stand no longer being famous so when he passes away his son immortalizes him as a stuffed work of art.
This is actually only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bloody insane climax of this movie, but I don’t want to give everything away. I do recommend this film to anyone with a strong stomach and a love for inventive special effects and spectacular photography. Don’t expect the movie to change the way you think about anything though, in the end it is a little shallow but the surreal punch lines to its sick jokes will probably stick with the viewer for a long time.