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Movies / On DVD / The Embalmer
The Embalmer

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The Embalmer (2003)

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Reviews Counted:32

Fresh:26

Rotten:6

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: Intriguingly creepy and unsettling.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Jul 18, 2003 Limited

Synopsis: THE EMBALMER, directed by Matteo Garrone, is the story of unrequited love and repressed homosexuality gone awry. Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux) is a diminutive taxidermist who secretly courts an... THE EMBALMER, directed by Matteo Garrone, is the story of unrequited love and repressed homosexuality gone awry. Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux) is a diminutive taxidermist who secretly courts an unsuspecting Greek god named Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo) by grossly overpaying him to work as his assistant. Hungry for direction and purpose in life, Valerio chooses to ignore the romantic yearnings of the older, much homelier man's attentions, throws himself into the work, and pals around with Peppino in spite of their differences. Peppino orchestrates debauched nights on the town with prostitutes in an effort to gain false intimacy with Valerio. There is no denying that the younger man is a willing party, and he even looks the other way when Peppino is employed by the mob to stash drugs in corpses. When Valerio falls in love with the tempestuous Deborah (Elisabetta Rochetti), Peppino is outraged to find that she is stubborn and shrewd, and cannot be manipulated for his own ends. The seemingly gentle path of Matteo Garrone's naturalistic film gives way to darker undercurrents and a creeping suspense that is irresistibly absorbing and quietly nerve-wracking. Director of photography Marco Onorato provides deep and dark wide-angle shots. And the littered beaches and abandoned streets of Cremona and locations outside Naples create a beautifully bereft backdrop that enhances this tale of three lost souls. [More]

Starring: Ernesto Mahieux, Valerio Foglia Manzillo, Elisabetta Rocchetti, Lina Bernardi

Starring: Ernesto Mahieux, Valerio Foglia Manzillo, Elisabetta Rocchetti, Lina Bernardi, Pietro Biondi, Benardino Terraacciano, Marcella Granito

Director: Matteo Garrone

Director: Matteo Garrone
Screenwriter: Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso
Producer: Luigi Lagrasta, Domenico Procacci
Composer: Banda Osiris
Studio: First Run Features

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 18, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Embalmer

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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

A twisted and fascinating tale, with a climax that's as logical as it is unexpected

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
05/22/04
Pamela Troy
Pamela Troy
culturevulture.net

[Actor Ernesto] Mahieux adds layers of gentleness and false bravado in what could have been a stereotypical role.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/19/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

Despite its virtues, the picture comes across rather like something that has itself been disinterred from the fairly remote past.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/29/03
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

The Embalmer is a movie that will keep fresh on your mind for a few days but probably won't be preserved in your memory for all time.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
12/12/03
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

In spite of some stiltedness, The Embalmer is an oft-intriguing examination of unquenched desire and the power of beauty.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
12/11/03
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Masterful at concealing its true nature and surprising us with the turns of the story.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
11/14/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...does just about everything in its power to turn you off. And guess what? It works.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/14/03
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

The movie, a keen look at the way passion unravels and obsession destroys, creates a black mood, a sense of truth and an enduring chill that stay with you.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
11/13/03
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With fewer sensational confrontations, The Embalmer is a major work. As it stands, it signals the emergence of an exceptional filmmaker.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/05/03
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
PopMatters

If you find that you're part of this newly identified demographic with an affinity for gay little folk, disemboweled animals, sexy babes, and creepy voyeurs, consider your movie prayers answered.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
10/08/03
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

Seductive, suspenseful psychological drama.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/02/03
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Engrossing.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/02/03
Chuck Wilson
Chuck Wilson
L.A. Weekly

This story is far too transparent to hold our attention for long.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
09/29/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

Mahieux ... builds a character so relentlessly powerful and creepy that The Embalmer leaves an aftertaste -- we can practically smell him.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/26/03
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Once Peppino is identified as a sexual predator, the movie loses whatever compassion it had for him, seeming to imply that his obsession and his sexual identity are the same thing.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/25/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Here's a movie that could keep David Lynch tossing at night.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
09/25/03
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Brilliantly creates an atmosphere of malignant malaise and foreboding.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
07/25/03
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Finds a disconcerting niche between edgy character thriller and black comedy.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/22/03
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A bummer, but one that manages to stick to its depraved convictions until the strange and bitter end.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
07/22/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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