The Embalmer

2002 1h 41m IT

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

81%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 260🍅81%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★7IMDB · 3,025

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Peppino, a diminutive taxidermist with a reputation for sleaziness, meets Valerio, a handsome if artless much younger man fascinated by the trade. Peppino offers him a large salary to be his assistant—the job burgeoning into a budding friendship he mistakes for something more. When Valerio gets a girlfriend, their fledgling romance will be threatened by an insanely jealous third wheel.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ernesto Mahieux
Peppino Profeta
Valerio Foglia Manzillo
Valerio
Elisabetta Rocchetti
Deborah
Lina Bernardi
Madre di Deborah
Pietro Biondi
Padre di Deborah
Marcella Granito
Manuela
Beppe Arena
Proprietario officina
Bernardino Terracciano
Boss

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Matteo Garrone
Writers: Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Gaudioso, Ugo Chiti
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Matteo Garrone, shot by Marco Onorato. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gianluigi Carlone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marco Spoletini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Ernesto Mahieux and Valerio Foglia Manzillo and Elisabetta Rocchetti carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0322725 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Matteo Garrone directs. Marco Onorato behind the camera. Gianluigi Carlone scores. Marco Spoletini cuts. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Directed by Matteo Garrone, shot by Marco Onorato. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Gianluigi Carlone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Marco Spoletini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ernesto Mahieux and Valerio Foglia Manzillo and Elisabetta Rocchetti carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0322725 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 11 themes, including "sexual obsession", "love triangle", "taxidermy", "unrequited love".