kviff.com
News
Festival Guide
  • Tickets and Festival Pass
  • Accommodations
  • Transportation
  • Festival cinemas
  • No Barriers project
  • Kids at the festival
  • Festival Shop
Program
  • Catalogue of films
  • Accompanying programme
  • Archive of films
  • Audience award
  • KVIFF Talks
  • Film Entry
Film Industry
  • Industry accreditation
  • Film Industry at KVIFF
  • Industry Days Programme
  • KVIFF Eastern Promises
  • KVIFF Talents
Press
  • Press accreditation
  • Press Service
  • For download
  • Press releases
  • Photogallery
  • Videogallery
About the festival
  • Festival description
  • Programme sections
  • Awards
  • History
  • We support non-profits
  • Photogallery
  • Partners
  • Why We Support the Festival
  • Contacts
CZ
Sign in
Film Archive

The Embalmer

Horizons 2003 / L' Imbalsamatore / Italy 2002

A dark drama about fulfilling dreams, rejected love and repressed desires within a bizarre love triangle formed by the diminutive taxidermist Peppino, the beautiful Valerio and the frivolous Deborah. 

The Embalmer The Embalmer

Synopsis

An excessively small older man, an excessively tall younger man and a mysterious young woman form an odd triangle in this disturbing Italian film. One day Peppino, an aging taxidermist, meets 20-year-old waiter Valerio and offers him a position as assistant in his studio. An unusual relationship forms between the men, based on Valerio’s naive admiration for Peppino’s worldly manner and on Peppino’s painful awareness of his lack of love. Valerio is pampered and spoiled by his employer until Deborah comes between the friends and wins the favour of the beguiled young man. Desperate Peppino, whose object of affection is being drawn away from him, refuses to accept a state of affairs condemning him to return to isolation. Selected last year for the prestigious Directors Fortnight section at Cannes, the movie is engaging for its suggestive rendering of the disquieting milieu surrounding the three loners, an atmosphere rife with suppressed emotion and hatred. The impressive Ernesto Mahieux (Peppino) took the Italian Academy Award (David di Donatello) for Best Supporting Actor.

About the film

100 min / Color, 35 mm

Director Matteo Garrone / Screenplay Matteo Garrone / Dir. of Photography Marco Onorato / Music Banda Osiris / Editor Marco Spoletini / Producer Domenico Procacci / Production Fandango / Cast Ernesto Mahieux, Valerio Foglia Manzillo, Elisabetta Rocchetti / Contact Intramovies

About the director

Matteo Garrone

Matteo Garrone (b. 1968, Rome) has had a passion for painting since his days at an art high school and he spends much of his free time at an easel. His first feature, Terra di mezzo, took the Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Torino International Festival of Young Cinema, and the documentary Oreste Pipolo, fotografo di matrimoni was screened at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival. His next two features, Ospiti and Estate Romana, were also festival successes. Selected filmography: Silhouette (1996), Terra di mezzo (1997), Benvienido Espirito Santo (1997), Un caso di forza maggiore (1998), Ospiti (1998), Estate Romana (2000). 

Contacts

Intramovies
Via Eustachio Manfredi 15, 00197, Rome
Italy
Phone: +39 064 577 7930
E-mail: [email protected]

Other partners
Newsletter

First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.

Follow us on the web:

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
is part of the KVIFF Group family, which covers other projects as well:

© 2025 KVIFF GROUP

Rules for Visitors / Website visitors privacy policy / GTC / Personal Data Protection / Rules for Claim / Rules and Regulations / Contacts