This film is a bit of character study and also a bit like a dark fairytale.
Jung is a mortician who is very ill with tuberculosis. The film begins with very little known about Jung and slowly reveals his past being an outcast, being adopted, his relationship with his new mother, his relationship with his step brother and his concern with helping the step brother become a woman.
Jung does a lot of odd things including painting his corpses, dancing with them, allowing strangers to pay him to use the bodies for sex etc the money he makes from this he collects in order to help his brother with the final operation so he can become a woman.
The relationship between Jung and his adoptive mother is similar to the evil-stepmother/aunt archetype used in fairy tales. It reveals why he was adopted and why despite this he remained an outcast whose only solace is in helping his step brother that final time.
It's an interesting watch that weaves Jung's own depression and anxiety with his desire to help his younger brother to make that final step and the elements of fantasy that the audience must decide what parts of the story are real and which are products of his imagination.
I felt there could have been a smoother flow to the story as there are some situations and characters that perhaps don't need to be there or I missed the purpose of including them.
In any case a fascinating but slow film that could have been improved by a more structured approach to the story. Otherwise a very moving and insightful piece.
Jung is a mortician who is very ill with tuberculosis. The film begins with very little known about Jung and slowly reveals his past being an outcast, being adopted, his relationship with his new mother, his relationship with his step brother and his concern with helping the step brother become a woman.
Jung does a lot of odd things including painting his corpses, dancing with them, allowing strangers to pay him to use the bodies for sex etc the money he makes from this he collects in order to help his brother with the final operation so he can become a woman.
The relationship between Jung and his adoptive mother is similar to the evil-stepmother/aunt archetype used in fairy tales. It reveals why he was adopted and why despite this he remained an outcast whose only solace is in helping his step brother that final time.
It's an interesting watch that weaves Jung's own depression and anxiety with his desire to help his younger brother to make that final step and the elements of fantasy that the audience must decide what parts of the story are real and which are products of his imagination.
I felt there could have been a smoother flow to the story as there are some situations and characters that perhaps don't need to be there or I missed the purpose of including them.
In any case a fascinating but slow film that could have been improved by a more structured approach to the story. Otherwise a very moving and insightful piece.