Review of Taxidermia (2006) by Tristan G — 14 Oct 2009

After the film school success of his lightly-funded experimental 2003 orchestra of the senses film 'Hukkle' dominated film festival critics' minds and eyes, Gyorgy Palfi's first feature full-length 'Taxidermia' continues to rape the minds and eyes of viewers who think they really do have what it takes to take on some of the most grotesque artistry ever filmed.

The story follows three bastardized generations of men - bastardized in a sense because each mother had a child with a man they each cheated on their husbands with. The product - firstly, a military leuitenant in time of war who is in charge of a man who enjoys masturbation through a hole in the wall; secondly, a fat competitive eater whose cross-swallowing methods won him worldwide fame and an enlarged immobile body; lastly, a young geek taxidermist with an obsession with science who is tired of being forever ridiculed by his fat, immobile father.

Perhaps this bastardization is in metaphor to the history of Hungarian society - but quite honestly, I have very little clue. Ignorance aside, I feel compelled to this film's artistic worth - where there's beauty in the grotesque, as well as a truly unique vision (even though Palfi seems quite borrowsome of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's artistic direction).

Like Palfi's experimental 'Hukkle', we are graced with an extreme artistic focusses on every human sense, decorated with passionately-placed scenes of violent carnage few and far-between. What we have is a more than memorable tale of self-control - whether it be sex, food, or science - and the limits they neglect.

I must add - this one is not for the weak-stomached. I am incredibly excited that this is seeing a US release this year, after being released in Europe 3 years ago.