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

When Mr. Wallis is teaching Sandra to aspirate the corpse he pushes the trocar straight in. In reality the trocar would be inserted at an angle and then be inserted in a complete circle to insure as much fluid as possible is removed. Also the body would be bathed after embalming.

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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 US video verson has been slightly cut. Shots of Molly Parker frontally nude have been removed at the behest of the distributor.

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Extremes (2007)

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Soundtracks

Baby
Performed by Lava Hay
Written by Michele Gould & Suzanne Little
Published by Copyright Control

User Reviews

Stunning

This film is quite frankly the only one that has ever brought tears to my eyes. This compelling and profound stir of taboo makes quick work of my knees and I've grown quite fond of it. The acting in this movie was shockingly surreal. Their ability to guide the undertones in effect are rather impressive and my attempts at criticism can only accumulate around the sound editing in which some transitional music and whatnot seemed lesser than par. Nothing in this piece has been overworked or emphasized to exhaustion. I am more than impressed by the simplicity that guides an endless river of emotion in which it captures the one thing.. the one word so overused, abused and neglected; love.