Taxidermia
A surreal body horror film spanning three generations of Hungarian men.
Taxidermia is a 2006 surrealist body horror film that blends satire, comedy, and drama. Directed and co-written by György Pálfi, it was produced jointly by Hungary, Austria, and France. The movie uses metaphor to retell Hungary’s socio-political history from World War II through the present day. Its story follows three generations of Hungarian men: a military orderly during WWII, a competitive speed-eater in the Cold War era, and a taxidermist in modern times. The film incorporates dark humor and body horror, and it earned positive reviews.
The plot begins at a remote Hungarian military outpost, where orderly Vendel Morosgoványi does menial work for Lieutenant Öreg Balatony Kálmán and his family, sleeping in an unheated shack near the latrines. He escapes into vivid, perverse sexual fantasies. In one ambiguous scene, he has sex with and impregnates Öreg’s wife, then “wakes up” to find himself engaged in sodomy with a slaughtered pig. Öreg sees this and fatally shoots Morosgovány. Months later, Öreg’s wife gives birth to a son, Kálmán Balatony, who is born with a pig’s tail. Öreg cuts it off and raises the boy as his own.
Years later, Kálmán is a champion speed-eater, trained by his strict uncle and coach, Jenő. His life centers on preparing for the day the International Olympic Committee recognizes speed-eating as a sport. He loses a Soviet competition due to lockjaw, frustrating Jenő. Kálmán elopes with fellow speed-eater Gizi Aczél, who becomes pregnant. After Gizi suffers severe abdominal pain during a demonstration, Kálmán insists she stop speed-eating until the birth. She gives birth to their son, Lajoska Balatony. Kálmán continues intense training throughout her pregnancy and Lajoska’s early years, prioritizing speed-eating over family. Eventually, Gizi leaves them.
Lajoska grows up to be a professional taxidermist. Dedicated to his craft and desperate to avoid his parents’ fates, he stays thin and anemic, trying to lead a normal life but struggling with social awkwardness. He works from his taxidermy shop and buys food for his father, Kálmán, who is now morbidly obese and confined to a chair. Kálmán dotes on his pet cats but constantly berates Lajoska. After Kálmán shouts that he is ashamed of him, Lajoska insults him and stops caring for him. He later returns to find the cats have escaped their cages and disemboweled Kálmán.
Quick Facts
- Director
- György Pálfi
- Producer
- Péter Miskolczi · Gábor Váradi
- Writer
- György Pálfi · Zsófia Ruttkay
- Based On
- short stories · Lajos Parti Nagy
- Starring
- Csaba Czene / Gergely Trócsányi / Piroska Molnár / Adél Stanczel
- Music
- Amon Tobin
- Cinematography
- Gergely Pohárnok
- Editing
- Réka Lemhényi
- Studio
- Amour Fou Filmproduktion / Eurofilm Stúdió / Katapult Film / La Cinéfacture / Memento Films Production
- Distributor
- Pool Filmverlieh (Austria) / Memento Films (France)
- Released
- 3 February 2006 · Hungarian Film Festival · 2006 · 05 · 19 · Cannes · 2006 · 11 · 09 · Hungary
- Runtime
- 94 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot begins at a remote Hungarian military outpost, where orderly Vendel Morosgoványi performs menial labor for lieutenant Öreg Balatony Kálmán and his family. Morosgoványi escapes into vivid sexual fantasies; in one ambiguous instance, he has sex with and impregnates Öreg's wife and 'wakes up' to find himself engaged in sodomy with a slaughtered pig. Öreg fatally shoots Morosgovány. Months later, Öreg's wife gives birth to a son, Kálmán Balatony, born with a pig's tail, which Öreg cuts off and raises the boy as his own. Decades later, Kálmán is a champion speed-eater, trained by his strict coach and uncle Jenő. He loses a Soviet competition due to lockjaw, later elopes with fellow speed-eating champion Gizi Aczél, and they have a son, Lajoska Balatony. Kálmán prioritizes training over family, and Gizi eventually leaves. Years later, Lajoska is a professional taxidermist, thin and socially awkward. He cares for his morbidly obese father Kálmán, who berates him. After Kálmán shouts he is ashamed of Lajoska, Lajoska storms out; returning, he finds the cats have disemboweled Kálmán. Lajoska stuffs and preserves his father's body and the cats, then uses a homemade surgical harness to remove his own internal organs, pump himself with preservatives, and decapitate himself, leaving a preserved statue displayed in an exhibit.
Reader's Guide
Taxidermia premiered at the Hungarian Film Festival on 3 February 2006 before screening in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It opened in France on 23 August 2006, Hungary on 9 November, and Austria on 9 February 2007. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 14 August 2009, grossing $11,408. The film features music scored by electronic artist Amon Tobin, released on his 2012 compilation Boxset, and includes the song 'Erdő' by the band Hollywoodoo during the end credits. Despite its divisive nature, Taxidermia gained attention on the festival circuit and was Hungary's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 79th Academy Awards. Over the years, it has developed a cult following among fans of unconventional and avant-garde cinema. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 81% approval rating based on 47 reviews, with the critical consensus calling it 'Surreal and visually striking' and 'graphic and difficult to watch, but creatively touches on disturbing subjects with imagination and wit.' On Metacritic, it has a score of 83 out of 100, indicating 'universal acclaim.'
Did You Know?
- The film is an international co-production of Hungary, Austria and France.
- The character Kálmán Balatony is born with a pig's tail, which his father immediately cuts off.
- The film's music includes the song 'Erdő' by the band Hollywoodoo, whose music video was directed by György Pálfi and contains scenes from the film.
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