Taxidermia 3/10<br /><br />Taxidermia is by far the most disappointing film of the year, but then again maybe our anticipation and hopes were just to high. There's allot the hype going around about it being the most shocking film of all time (believe me it does not even come close) it does have it's sick and gross moments, (and it might be advised that the too squeamish pass on this one) but most people will just be bored. The film lacks action and any smart or meaningful dialogues, there is no political or social conscience or message, and it is simply not sick or shocking enough to truly qualify as an Exploitation film. Which is a shame because the film has the right settings to be politically meaningful and also the casting couldn't be more superb. finally bravo to the director of photography, who truly knows his work. For those who have no clue what the film is about; Taxidermia is the second full length film by Hungarian film-director György Pálfi (I have not seen his first film Hukkle) and is based on the short stories by Lajos Parti Nagy. It follows the lives of three Hungarian men (during fascism, communism and finally post soviet Hungary) the plot runs often thin and there are holes and unexplained lose ends in the tales. The first story is about Morosgoványi; a horny soldier who works and lives at the farm of his lieutenant. the film starts with him burning himself with a candle just before shooting fire out of his penis (most likely his fantasy as he ejaculates, believe me this guy does not make the appearance of having any magical powers) the middle aged soldier spends most of his days pleasuring himself (while looking at fairy tale books, cleaning bath tubs, or spying on the daughters of his lieutenant.) He finally even pokes away on a pig carcass, with bad consequences. The second story focuses on a fat speed eating champion who was born with a tail (and could either be the son of the lieutenant or the son of Morosgoványi; which it is not to clearly explained and therefore up to our imagination) and is by far the most boring story out of all three, his character stays undeveloped, we learn little about him, he just eats and pukes, finally he falls in love with a fat woman and together they have a child, so begins the third and last story, as the child grows up to be a skinny and kind of creepy Taxidermist, who lives alone with his now even fatter and bed ridden father and his large mutant cats. The end is the worst 'surprise ending' I have ever seen. <br /><br />Like said, it has it's few good and truly sick moments, I give it three stars (mainly for excellent cast and acting on most part) I'd really like to read the original stories to by Nagy to see if they are just as pointless or of the director just missed out on the meaning of it all. Salem K.