Customer Reviews

The Embalmer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am not usually suckered in by a pretty face on a DVD box; experience has taught me to be extra careful when I find myself drawn to a handsome photo when choosing films to add to my collection. Nevertheless, the premise of this picture sounded morbidly intriguing, and the hunk on the cover (who is precisely to my taste) allowed me to decide that the purchase of this film could never be a total loss.

I surprised myself by finding this film satisfactory on several levels. On the superficial, we have the very good performance of an actor named Valerio Foglia Manzillo, a mouthful in all respects. Mr. Manzillo is handsome in a sort of breathtaking way that makes me feel all fluttery on the inside, and the character he portrays is likeable enough to seal our affection.

But on a dramatic and emotional plane, it is the portrait of the dwarf Peppino, engagingly acted by Ernesto Mahieux, that will strike a chord of identification in the average viewer strong enough to carry The Embalmer through to its uncomfortable conclusion. Peppino is likable and charming, but suffers from the terminal loneliness often experienced by those whom society labels "unsexy". The people he meets generally respond to him with warmth and affection, unsuspecting that he continually struggles to mask the fact that he is perpetually unfulfilled, sad and somewhat pathetic. We feel his desperation and acutely sense his sadness, even as he entertains and inspires laughter and joy in those around him. His secret sexual longings make him especially human and easy to identify with, and this portrait is ultimately the most satisfying aspect of this interesting film.

The gory scenes I expected from the synopsis on the box failed to materialize, but I was far too engrossed in the characters to feel cheated in any way. This picture is not for everyone, but if you like brooding, dark and thoughtful foreign films, you may enjoy it as much as I did. In any event, the film is not as shocking as it is romantic and, if nothing else, the sex appeal of the young apprentice will be more than sufficient to hold many viewers' attention. Others may wonder what all the fuss is about; I know that I have seen dozens of films in the past few months that I found far less satisfying.

For those who enjoy creepy psycho-sexual thrillers which feature determined dwarves who are taxidermists, sultry, sulky and equally determined Italian temptresses, and tall, handsome and dumb apprentice taxidermists, The Embalmer (L'Imbalsamatore) might be the movie for you. "It's a shrew," says Peppino Profeta (Ernesto Mahieux) to Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo), showing a tiny little animal perfectly mounted on a bit of wood. "Very rare! Imagine, my cat caught this, and what a battle to yank it out of its mouth!" It's not long before Valerio, who is far too dense to appreciate a metaphor, will be the object of a nasty and deadly tug-of-war between Peppino and that determined cat Deborah (Elisabetha Rochetti).

Peppino is a very small (think of a thin and younger Danny De Vito), lonely man who has great charm and a sly, determined will to win what he wants and to keep it when he thinks he's won it. Valerio, a tall young man he meets at a zoo, is what he wants. Valerio is as good-natured and gullible as a puppy, and just as liable to roll over for the first person who wants to rub his stomach. Deborah is a woman who knows what she wants, is just as determined and manipulative as Peppino in getting it, and just as willing to rub the puppy's stomach. Peppino disguises his objective by arranging parties with easy women, but it's clear he prefers to watch Valerio rather than the females. Deborah is too experienced not to know what Peppino wants even if Valerio seems a bit dense about things. One would think Valerio would find himself in the best of all possible worlds. However, he's too naive to simply accept the blessings of circumstance and too easily influenced by the almost ruthless neediness and guilt both Peppino and Deborah use on him. As the story moves along, we learn that Peppino is in debt to the mafia and keeps in their good graces by opening corpses to insert packages of drugs for delivery. He knows that sideline can't be maintained forever. And Deborah, not only using her sexual skills on Valerio to keep him close-by, also announces to him that she's pregnant. This obsessive, bizarre contest over Valerio ends when he takes some decisive steps that involve gunshots and sinking cars.

Is this movie a minor masterpiece that dwells on neediness and sexual manipulation? Well, no. But it certainly is a stylish and intriguing film, even with an ending that dissolves into loony violence and a certain nihilistic artiness. The story is interesting, the direction has style and the director keeps things moving. The film features an underlying and growing uneasiness, especially as Peppino's obsessions grow and Deborah's clutching anger becomes clear. The best thing about the movie, however, is Ernesto Mahieux. The actor is probably no taller than 5 feet. Acting against the more-than-six-feet-tall Valerio Foglia Manzillo, Mahieux must project charm and sincerity. But then Mahieux must also show us Peppino's subtle and then not-so subtle intentions and his growing insecurity, neediness and desperation. It's quite a performance, and every bit believable.

The DVD has a fine picture and audio transfer. There are two or three inconsequential extras.

For me, the best part of this film was the spectacular cinematography with which the physical beauty and talent is captured! Certainly, there will be some points in the movie when you're scratching your head going, 'uhhh why the hell is this happening right now?'
But my goodness, every shot is BEAUTIFUL! The weird and sometimes unbelievable things happen with such an amazing eye that in my opinion they are forgivable if not just to see all the wonderful visual ideas the director put into it.

L'Imbalsamatore (Matteo Garrone, 2002)

From the description the library gave of this film, I was expecting a slick piece of Italian horror of the new wave variety (cf. the absolutely brilliant Michele Soavi film Dellamorte Dellamore, which flirts regularly with inclusion on my 100 Best Films of All Time list). What I got was... not. It's a lurid love-triangle tale, an interesting, if flawed, piece of high drama.

The story revolves around L'imbalsamatore himself, Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux, not yet a name likely to be known amongst Americans, but give him a few years). After an interminable opening scene, Peppino approaches young, handsome Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo, in his first film role) and asks him to become Peppino's apprentice. Valerio accepts, and quickly realizes that things are not all as they seem. First, the rumors Valerio has heard about Peppino being tied in to the mafia somehow seem as if they might have some substance. Second, it seems Peppino's interest in Valerio might not be fatherly. Valerio meets up with Deborah (Elisabetta Rocchetti, recently of Non Ho Sonno) and the two of them drift into a relationship. Deborah is even warier of Peppino than everyone else in his life. Complications ensue.

The best thing about L'imbalsamatore, by far, is its acting. All three of the main characters turn in fine performances, and the love triangle is made eminently believable by all three of them. Unfortunately, it would be even more believable if Garrone had more of a sense of pace. The film drags in a number of places where it shouldn't, and Garrone's use of filler is transparent (the long pan shot from the beach to the city, for example, which turns up first in the title credits for a full two minutes, then shows up for thirty seconds here and there when Garrone needs some extra footage). It's a 101-minute film that could have easily been an eighty-five or ninety-minute better film. Still, it's well worth seeing for the performances of the three lead actors. Worth seeking out. ***

This was an intensely powerful psychological film. Where it was easy to see what the interest that Peppino had in Valerio, it was more difficult to understand why Valerio wanted to go work with Peppino. I know that sometimes subtitles don't always give a true rendering (according to reviews I've seen of other foreign films), so perhaps something was lost in the translation - I'm not Italian, don't speak Italian, so had to rely on the subtitles.

It was creepy, to say the least, to watch Peppino (Italy's Danny DeDevito) lusting after Valerio (as another reviewer said, and I said this myself when I was watching the film, Italy's Brad Pitt). Obviously, even in the most bizarre of circumstances, it's impossible to imagine that coupling. And we know that Valerio was aware that Peppino's interest in him was more than simply that of a co-worker.

The DVD cover has a quote saying something to the effect of "all the twists and turns are plausible". There really any twists and turns. It was a straight forward film. Peppino pursued Valerio, Valerio wasn't interested (at least sexually - he was definitely interested in hopping off to Cuba with Peppino when presented with the idea), and something has to give.

The ending is a powerful one, it will keep you guessing for a bit, and you will probably be surprised by it. I wasn't; I saw the ending in the beginning - but I won't give it away.

I personally find it stunning. Everything about this film is so unique and brilliant. The characters are strong, yet tender, the music is compelling, the acting is wonderful, the story is, well, again, about loneliness. I understand how it might not be for everyone, and that's why I like it so much.

The Embalmer is a masterpiece. Matteo Garrone is the best new director coming from Europe. A former director of photography, he makes movies that are unforgettable, both from a visual and a narrative point of view. Highly recommended.

I was so happy with this movie! It kept we wondering what will happen next and even when I thought I had it figured out, It would surprise me. This movie is really good... And the characters are amazing.there is the lil guy who is just sooo freaky lookng/scary and the main guy who is just crazy hot! Watch this movie. I loved it and I'm sure you will 2

After multiple reviews, annotations, articles and notes about the film you haven't seen you usually grasp something. And this something is usually an idea based on some key words. Now imagine that you memorized (like I did) the following key words for "The Embalmer": thriller, taxidermy, corpses, mafia, unexpected twists. And you read the following lines on the box-cover as well: "diabolical thriller", "seductive and suspenseful", "profoundly creepy", "bizarre twists", "perverse and chilling"... I guess you'll get the idea and you'll be expecting something extraordinary won't you? Especially knowing it's an Italian movie...
But you will not find anything of the listed above in "The Embalmer". Well, there is a story of human obsession with homoerotic overtones and with a murder, but the film is just so lingering and dull. It seems like for the first hour nothing happens on screen at all. And you realize all your expectations are ruined.
Don't get me wrong - this may not be a bad movie, maybe you will like it but I just want to warn everyone who's expecting some intense thriller - it's not intense it's more like boring.
I gave it three stars more for what this movie could have been, not for what it is.

This movie is really only a bit twisted, but it's a surprise to many because they may not be expecting it to be what it really is. The twists deal with various relationships and the plot. Even though they "twist" the plot, it's really surprising changes of focuses in the storyline rather than complete twists of keeping the original story intact. These changes make the movie seem less effective and unique to others. What makes this movie more of a stand out are little things which may seem more fit for background at first such as embalmed material, Peppino checking to see if his employee is doing a well done job, and clothing.

The embalmed animals, which are supposed to be eerie, didn't come off as that to me because it was part of Valerio's job and it seemed like part of life. When Valerio's first wife or sister (not sure which) makes a big deal about his work, it makes her seem freaked out. When Valerio comes in at 4 AM all smelly later on and gets kicked out, then you start to wonder what will happen next.

There's a scene where Valerio's green silk shirt really matches the scene and his personality just perfectly at that point in time. The shirt is so nice, top of the line material, and so expensive looking that any man would probably look good in it.

The suspense was well driven until the end. I think they should have showed more than they did, because it was almost like they were saying that the actors were not good enough at acting for action movies, so they decided to leave that important part out instead.