A Tall Tale

The publicity visual is a stunner and after sitting through the show, you'll understand that there is no reason for it not to be given how graphically arresting it is.

Taxidermia is possibly the most disturbing show I've ever sat through, and I can take some pretty disturbing shit. Fantastical, grotesque, imaginative and really, really strange, I was glad I did not go in with my stomach full.

I squirmed in my seat with the cutting scenes, lifted my eyes ceiling-ward every time there was puking, gasp and eww-ed along with the audience. But it was also frightfully funny and enthralling is probably the best word for it. You would not be able to tear yourself away from the tale, no matter how nauseated you feel.

What is shocking always seems to be a manifestation of human emotion and nothing is there just for effect without purpose. Except maybe the pan-in on that female bush of armpit hair with that single bead of dripping sweat, which puts Tang Wei's moment in Lust, Caution to shame. Urgh. Thinking about that still makes me feel ill.

Images from poetrymag

Storyline as taken from here (you probably shouldn't read it if you intend to see it):

Told in three distinct stages tracking three successive generations of a family the film begins in a remote military outpost, telling the story of a cruel lieutenant and the hare-lipped private he loves to torment. Despite this being the cold of winter the private is forced to live in a ramshackle, unheated shed and serve as the lieutenant's virtual slave. Neglected by all those around him the private has developed a powerful fantasy life, lusting after the handful of women present when not spouting flames from the tip of his penis.

Segment two follows the lieutenant's son, seen born with a curly pig's tail at the end of segment one, who is now a champion competitive eater in communist Hungary, his life revolving around training, competition, post competition vomiting, and the canning factory female champion he loves from afar. Tragedy strikes on the field of competition, he rebounds to get the girl, and training resumes but have the glory days of competitive eating passed? Will the IOC ever recognize these tremendous athletes?

Segment three follows our eater's son, the lieutenant's grandson, a professional taxidermist who spends his days mounting animals, manipulating bodies, and whose stark thinness stands in dramatic contrast to his massively overweight father, by now an immobile blob, who he cares for bringing regular deliveries of candy bars, which father eats wrappers and all, and cases of butter - thirty kilos at a time - which are fed to the monstrously large cats dear old dad is training up as eaters. In his effort to control in himself the wild excesses he sees in his father the young taxidermist soon takes the ultimate steps to preserve himself as is.

My favourite is the taxidermist segment. Sad and disbelievingly bizarre.

If you can stomach it, I'd say go for it. If you cover your eyes at the sight of a finger getting chopped off or squeal at blood on screen, well, don't go make a nuisance of yourself.