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Taxidermia

Play trailer Poster for Taxidermia 2009 1h 31m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
80% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Set over three generations and beginning with Morosgoványi Vendel, a sexually frustrated orderly during the war who relieves his tensions in the most outlandish, gross ways. The result of his liaison is Balatony Kálmán, a glutton who grows up to be a champion speed eater. He produces a child, Balatony Lajoska who becomes obsessed with taxidermy.
Taxidermia

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Surreal and visually striking, Taxidermia is, at times, graphic and difficult to watch, but creatively touches on disturbing subjects with imagination and wit.

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Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray AV Club 08/20/2009
B-
Taxidermia is frequently funny, for those who can stomach it. Go to Full Review
Eddie Cockrell Variety 08/14/2009
Taxidermia sets a benchmark for body horror in the cinema. Go to Full Review
Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times 08/14/2009
5/5
Taxidermia is a brilliant, often grotesquely bizarre allegory on life in Hungary from World War II to the present, a surrealist fantasy exploring the limits of the body and its desires and altogether a darkly funny comedy. Go to Full Review
Martin Tsai Critic's Notebook 10/07/2015
Mr. Plfi's grandiose vision and technical bravado are nothing short of mesmerizing, yet there are also plenty of tender moments amid the go-for-broke follies. Go to Full Review
Christopher Long Movie Metropolis 05/01/2010
7/10
The gluttonous middle section of the film is by far its most successful. Go to Full Review
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 04/11/2010
86/100
Surreal, grotesque and bitterly funny Hungarian art horror film ... aspires not to cult status as a torture porn totem but to the highest cinematic art.(It's not that, but give it points for trying.) Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Peter K @Vacadoug Jul 18 A little too graphic for my stomach. See more Alex C 06/08/2023 I enjoyed but it really isn't that gross. I can't understand why that is being said a lot. Sometimes slow but it was okay. Acting was very good. See more 06/01/2022 Taxidermia will be far too much for most people to stomach, especially after the first act. It's a highly metaphorical tale, where the dialogue is secondary to the imagery, which ranges from grotesque to... actually, that's it, just grotesque. It follows 3 generations of a single family, none of whom you would call well-adjusted, and none of whom I suspect you'll grow to like very much. The film is a symbolic representation of Hungary's history, from the second World War to present day. This is a topic I know almost nothing about, and as such much of what was happening went clear over my head. It's also representative of the 7 deadly sins, which, again, you might well miss on the first watch. A lot of what you see is so disgusting and unpleasant that you might just shut it off early on, and to be honest, I'm not sure you'd really miss very much. It's certainly a competently made film, not cheap by any means, with a lot of effort put into the camerawork and cinematography, but its heavy symbolism renders it light on entertainment, and as such its not very enjoyable to sit though. It's a film you suffer more than anything else. Full credit to Gyorgy Palfi for going out and making a film so unashamedly messed up and crazy, and I certainly admire his ambition and unique vision. But looking back, there nothing about the film that would make me want to watch it again, and I don't think any of my friends are mad enough to enjoy it. I hope not anyway! See more georgan g 11/14/2021 Not for the faint-of-heart! Hard to tell what's real from what's special effects. Can't look away as it's so mesmerizing. Shows the last 75-years of Hungarian history but with laughs, too. Likely, how this country survived. See more 11/20/2020 this film is disgusting and meaningless. See more 08/29/2017 Taxidermia is a film about a man who likes to stick his dick in things. Fortunately this section of the movie only lasts for the first 20 minutes. The remainder of this gruff and grizzly Hungarian offering has other tales to tell, with varying levels of interest, coherency and disgust. Gyorgy Palfi's cold portmanteau horror-drama charts the exploits of three generations of obsessive oddballs, quite literally of of different shapes and sizes. These range from a masturbating madman, a competitive eater with a stubby tail and a pasty taxidermist with a paedo hairdo. All are shot with beautifully dizzying rotating handi-cams and garish pans, interspersed with the odd vomit close-up. In its own weird way, each story grows slightly more interesting and surprising than the last, before the film culminates in a finale far more intelligent and surprising than we'd ever have expected from a filmmaker predominantly interested in elaborate displays of grotesquerie. See more Read all reviews
Taxidermia

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Movie Info

Synopsis Set over three generations and beginning with Morosgoványi Vendel, a sexually frustrated orderly during the war who relieves his tensions in the most outlandish, gross ways. The result of his liaison is Balatony Kálmán, a glutton who grows up to be a champion speed eater. He produces a child, Balatony Lajoska who becomes obsessed with taxidermy.
Director
Gyorgy Palfi
Producer
Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, Emilie Georges, Gabriele Kranzelbinder, Alexandre Mallet-Guy
Screenwriter
Gyorgy Palfi, Zsofia Ruttkay
Distributor
Regent Releasing
Production Co
Amour Fou Vienna, Katapult Film, Memento Films Production, La Cinéfacture, Eurofilm Stúdió
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Hungarian
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 14, 2009, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 1, 2024
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 6, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.2K
Runtime
1h 31m