Kissed

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.

Maybe I'm just being lucky, but over the last couple of years I've watched a whole bunch of fantastic Canadian movies by directors such as Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald and Don McKellar. These guys are making movies that are wiping the floor with most of their American contemporaries! After watching 'Kissed' add Lynne Stopkewich to that list.

She has managed to make an intelligent and touching movie about one of the last sexual taboos - necrophilia. I can't think of any other movie off the top of my head that has dealt with this subject that isn't either horror or exploitation. Now I love good horror and exploitation movies, don't get me wrong, it's just amazingly refreshing to see this kind of thing handled in a completely different and thoughtful way.

The writing, direction, cinematography are all perfect, and the acting is first class throughout. Especially Molly Parker in the lead role. Parker was funny and sweet in the cult TV show 'Twitch City' with Don McKellar, but reveals even more depth and talent with this outstanding and unforgettable performance. 'Kissed' is a totally unique and special movie. Once seen, never forgotten. I look forward to more movies from Stopkewich. If 'Kissed' is any indication of her braveness and originality, she could well turn into one of THE great film makers of this decade.

The story in this movie is, as often quoted, controversial - and its a story one could expect a great movie of. However, this one fails strongly to get deep into the issue, to what *really* drives Sandra (the girl in the movie) to her different sexual experiences, and likewise, how her "boyfriend" *really* feels about it which eventually leads to the tragic ending. It is very shallow and only touches on the edge of the mystery. 78 minutes running time could easily be extended by half an hour in order to incorporate this. A better script and a better director would probably lift the movie up to the unreasonable high average it has reached at IMDB...

Film lovers: Please don't pay too much attention to the Marco Devilboy review of this unusual film. I can understand someone not enjoying KISSED because it deals with a supremely unappetizing subject. But then it quietly, delicately opens up that subject (and the characters involved) and wraps the viewer in an embrace that becomes both irresistible and horrifying. The movie works. When I first saw it, it introduced me to a young actress I have since followed and never seen give a bad performance: Molly Parker. Peter Outerbridge is wonderful, too. Recalling this film now, several years after first watching it, such a rush of thoughts and feelings come back to me that I will probably have to see it once again. If you are willing to go somewhere you never imagined you would find yourself--and then deal with what you discover there--KISSED is not to missed.

A reviewer complained about this movie not showing enough. Movies are not like television episodes. A movie is a finished product. Each movie vehical has to express not only specific acts and dialogue of the cast but has to also expell an artistic quality. A movie unlike television shows must be reviewed wholistically. Either a movie is a good total package or it is not. This is why most movie sequels do not work. It is usually impossible to recreate the unique once in a lifetime artistic expression of a film. I would suggest movie reviewers keep this in mind. Of course one should never watch movies with commercials. This totally breaks up the continuity and artistic expression of any film and reduces them to the level of a television episode. This film gave me a very mello, soft feeling, I could feel the main character's growing love and attraction as she discovered her innermost desires. I believe that the movie wanted the viewer to feel the passion in her mind not the actual phyical interaction with the bodies.