Kissed (1996)

Note: This review was originally posted on a message board forum. I am reposting it here for archival purposes. It has been backdated to the date of its original posting.

Kissed is such a beautiful film. And Molly Parker, in the lead role, is so beautiful. I knew I was gonna like this film even before I watched it, based on the premise alone. And it did not disappoint. Of course, now that I've said that, I've put myself in something of an uncomfortable position now that I have to tell you what the film is about...

Kissed is about one woman's profound, romantic obsession with death. In childhood, she would sneak out and perform secret solitary rituals, dancing around fresh graves she dug for dead animals - birds, and mice, and whatnot - while reveling in the sensations of death (especially smell and touch, and sometimes even taste). When her one friend freaks out on her she discovers the true abnormality of her feelings. She takes a job at a funeral home to get ever closer to death, and goes to school to study embalming. She meets a fascinated young man (living), who she confesses her secret to, but finds that he can't satisfy her emotionally - or physically - the way corpses do. The relationship is bound to end in tragedy.

The reason I was so excited about this film is not because it deals with the topic of necrophilia, something I can honestly say grosses me out as much as the next guy, but because I had heard that it was a very tasteful and beautiful depiction of such an unusual and controversial topic. Being no stranger to alternative lifestyles myself, the idea of a film that can touch on such a topic in a respectful and artistic way, without resorting to either immature humor or exaggerated grossout, is very attractive to me indeed. And Kissed is a most artistic, beautiful, engaging, emotionally complex film.

I've already mentioned that Molly Parker is beautiful, but she's also convincing, and engrossing. Amazing performance. Even though I can't relate to the character's preoccupation with death, I can very much relate to her secret rituals, and her forbidden desires. And the scene where she confesses to the guy she gets involved with, only going on a hunch that he will be able to understand her...nerve-racking, and so completely convincing. And liberating. I really felt like I was in her place, I could feel all the emotions the character must be feeling in that instant. And the scene where she mounts the corpse - very tastefully done, very beautiful, and by god, I do believe it's the most erotic corpse-fucking scene I will ever see in my life. And trust me, I never thought I would ever be in a position to write a sentence like that...

The movie is relatively short, at under an hour and a half. I felt like it could have gone on, and I certainly wouldn't have minded being under the enchantment of the film for a bit longer. But, as it is, it's a great little, tragic, unusual love story. I recommend it.