Kissed (1996)

Over the years, a child's romantic ideals about death blossom into necrophilia, the study of embalming and the most profound relationship of her life.

Director:

Lynne Stopkewich

Writers:

Angus Fraser (screenplay), Lynne Stopkewich (screenplay)

Stars:

Molly Parker, Peter Outerbridge, Jay Brazeau

7 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Molly Parker	...	Sandra Larson
Peter Outerbridge	...	Matt
Jay Brazeau	...	Mr. Wallis
Natasha Morley	...	Young Sandra
Jessie Winter Mudie	...	Carol
James Timmons	...	Jan
Joe Maffei	...	Biology Teacher
Robert Thurston	...	Detective
Annabel Kershaw	...	Mother Larson
Tim Dixon	...	Father Larson
Amber Warnat	...	Lisa Brown
Bill Finck	...	Minister
Janet Craig	...	Mourner
Edward Davey	...	Embalming Prof.
Hamish Wilson	...	Gurney Goner - Cadaver

Storyline

Sandra Larson has always been fascinated by the entire sensory experience surrounding death: its touch, smell and look. As a child, she would search out dead animals and perform ritualistic burials. As a young woman, Sandra gets a job at Wallis Funeral Home, first as a general assistant, then progressing to study to become an embalmer. At the funeral home, she begins to take her fascination with death to the next level by becoming a necrophiliac. But she also begins her first ever relationship with Matt, a medical student, with who she is totally open about her necrophilia. He finds this aspect of her compelling. He becomes all consumed with her as she is consumed with dead people. The questions become how far he will take this fascination with her to understand fully what is going through her emotional being, how far she will allow him to go, and how far can her feelings for him extend as a live being.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | female nudity | female pubic hair | necrophilia | female full frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Love Knows No Bounds.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for aberrant sexuality and some language

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Besado

Filming Locations:

Maple Ridge Cemetery, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,552, 13 April 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$465,417, 18 May 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boneyard Film Company Inc., British Columbia Film, Canada Council Media Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 88 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is rated R18 in New Zealand for it's disturbing content concerning necrophilia, sex, nudity and a suicide.

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Goofs

As Sandra touches the folded hands of the male corpse in the casket at the Wallis Funeral Home you can see the "corpse" breathing; his suit jacket is moving up and down in a breathing motion.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sandra Larson: When you die, your life... flashes, and you disintegrate, radiating energy. When a thing turns into its opposite, when love becomes hate, there are always sparks. But when life turns into death, it's explosive. There are streaks of light, magical, and electrifying. Everyone senses something, some energy, some spirit, some sort of illumination, But I see it. I've seen bodies shining like stars. Some say there's no soul, no afterlife, that life and death is the straightest line on ...

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Crazy Credits

League of Champions: Mr. & Mrs. Hyman, Anonymous

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Alternate Versions

The Hong Kong VCD release sometimes found on eBay cuts some scenes down, and blocks out nudity with black boxes.

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Connections

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

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Soundtracks

Train Of Misery
Performed by Mark Findler, Sean Ashby, Andrea Lewis, Doug Elliot, Pat Steward
Written by Mark Findler
Published by Brother Sweden Songs

User Reviews

Powerful, passionate and relevant: exactly what a movie should be

There is no more natural preoccupation than death. Everyone is aware that they are going to die but no one knows precisely what death is. We all come to terms with our mortality in our own way. Most of us try to think about death as little as possible, choosing denial. Some turn to religion for comforting beliefs about death, others embrace a "death culture", as Goths do. A very small number of people embrace death to the extent that cadavers become sexually attractive to them.

Kissed is a beautiful story about a young woman named Sandra who explores death through necrophilia. When Matt, a fellow student she becomes romantically involved with, becomes infatuated with her he desperately tries to understand her and to incorporate himself into her necrophilic lifestyle.

They both, each in their own way, use the powerful nature of love and lust to explore their feelings about death.

The acting is both professional and believable and the audience can relate to the complex characters even though none of us is ever likely to personally experience such a bizarre situation. Even when Matt's need to be loved by Sandra makes him strange and frightening, the story only feels more familiar when we realize how much we have changed ourselves for lovers. Isn't life about finding someone to love before the time is up?

The sex and nudity are artistic, not pornographic. I went away from this movie feeling like I had witnessed something important and special. It may be disturbing at times, but Kissed is never revolting. I would not have believed that a movie about this subject matter could be so beautifully and sensitively made. If you ever find yourself anxious about death or plan to die someday, I highly recommend this passionate exploration of our most primal fear.