Peppino, the taxidermist at the center of this story, is a man who nature has not endowed with many physical attributes. He is a short homely man, who might repel many people. Yet, what he lacks in stature, and good looks, he compensates with a larger than life personality.
When he first spots the handsome Valerio, he decides he wants to see more of him. Valerio, who is working as a cook, is offered a job by Peppino, even though he is not experienced in that line of work. What he doesn't realize is that Peppino, in addition of stuffing animals is also an expert in stuffing dead bodies with drugs. He works closely with the local mafia boss.
Valerio and Peppino develop an easy relationship, but the younger man doesn't have a clue about the little man's affection for him. Peppino, who knows he can't force himself on Valerio, gathers prostitutes to go to bed with the two of them because that is the only way he can be with Valerio without coming out to him.
When Valerio meets Deborah, the dynamics between the two friends change; Peppino senses it, but he can't do anything to separate them. Deborah, who becomes pregnant, proposes to go home to Cremona and Valerio accepts. Their lives appear to be getting in the right track until one day Peppino appears at her parents' home. It's clear by now that Valerio must make a decision that will change his life forever.
Director Matteo Garrone, who also contributed to the screen play, shows he knows how to deal with this sordid situation with great taste and he is never in the viewer's face. By presenting the main character as physical handicapped and the object of his desires as a handsome young man, Mr. Matteo achieved a coup because of the possibilities in the strange relationship, aggravated by a third party, in this case, by Deborah.
The best thing in the film is Ernesto Mahieux, who as Peppino gives one of the best performances in an Italian film in recent memory. His Peppino is a complicated man who is trapped in a body that no one wants. Yet, his need for love is something no one can satisfy. Valerio Foglia Manzillo is awkward as the handsome man he is portraying. In part, the character, the way Mr. Foglia Manzillo played it, makes sense because Valerio's loyalties play a trick on him. Elizabetta Rocchetti appears as Deborah, the woman who is able to get Valerio away from what she senses is a threat to her own happiness.
"The Taxidermist", is a great collaboration between its director, Mr. Garrone, and his star, the larger than life, Ernesto Mahieux.
When he first spots the handsome Valerio, he decides he wants to see more of him. Valerio, who is working as a cook, is offered a job by Peppino, even though he is not experienced in that line of work. What he doesn't realize is that Peppino, in addition of stuffing animals is also an expert in stuffing dead bodies with drugs. He works closely with the local mafia boss.
Valerio and Peppino develop an easy relationship, but the younger man doesn't have a clue about the little man's affection for him. Peppino, who knows he can't force himself on Valerio, gathers prostitutes to go to bed with the two of them because that is the only way he can be with Valerio without coming out to him.
When Valerio meets Deborah, the dynamics between the two friends change; Peppino senses it, but he can't do anything to separate them. Deborah, who becomes pregnant, proposes to go home to Cremona and Valerio accepts. Their lives appear to be getting in the right track until one day Peppino appears at her parents' home. It's clear by now that Valerio must make a decision that will change his life forever.
Director Matteo Garrone, who also contributed to the screen play, shows he knows how to deal with this sordid situation with great taste and he is never in the viewer's face. By presenting the main character as physical handicapped and the object of his desires as a handsome young man, Mr. Matteo achieved a coup because of the possibilities in the strange relationship, aggravated by a third party, in this case, by Deborah.
The best thing in the film is Ernesto Mahieux, who as Peppino gives one of the best performances in an Italian film in recent memory. His Peppino is a complicated man who is trapped in a body that no one wants. Yet, his need for love is something no one can satisfy. Valerio Foglia Manzillo is awkward as the handsome man he is portraying. In part, the character, the way Mr. Foglia Manzillo played it, makes sense because Valerio's loyalties play a trick on him. Elizabetta Rocchetti appears as Deborah, the woman who is able to get Valerio away from what she senses is a threat to her own happiness.
"The Taxidermist", is a great collaboration between its director, Mr. Garrone, and his star, the larger than life, Ernesto Mahieux.