L’imbalsamatore

L’Imbalsamatore started from a newspaper cutting about an impossible three-cornered relationship that ends in a violent tragedy. Garrone’s film became a compelling mixture of unfulfilled dreams, denied love and frustrated desires.The tiny Peppino is a taxidermist. His knowledge of dead animals means he is occasionally called in by the Mafia. Peppino feels attracted to the athletically built Valerio, whom he hires as an assistant. To stay as close as possible to Valerio without arousing suspicion, Peppino arranges dates with whores for both of them after work. He is also eager to offer the kid a roof over his head. So he is pretty jealous when Deborah turns up in Valerio’s life and also manages to conquer a place in Peppino’s household.The meticulously structured drama has a continual underlying feeling of fear that is strengthened by the macabre presence of death in the shape of dead animals. The sexual and moral ambivalence of the characters is loosely presented, almost matter-of-fact. There is also a major role for the (urban) landscape: no other director manages to utilise the modern urban follies in the Italian cityscape as well as Garrone.