Revelation Film Fest: "The Final Member" Review
The Final Member is a curious little documentary which focuses on an Icelandic man who has the distinction of being the curator of the world’s only penis museum. The museum houses a phallus from almost every member of the mammal world however one final specimen is missing, the human penis. With his health in decline and the fear of an unfinished collection being left in his death, the curator is on the hunt to find someone who is willing to dedicate their appendage to the museum and have the merit of being the only human example within the collection.
Sigurdur Hjartarson is the main man of this film; he is the curator of the museum and the center point for the documentary. He is an instantly likable character, when he speaks of his collection he speaks of it with such enthusiasm, we understand instantly that this has become very much his lifes work and legacy and that is so admirable in a character. There are of course moments where you cannot help but giggle, such as when Hjartarson shows off his phallic inspired sculptures and even dinner cutlery etc. But these moments are not poking fun at Hjartarson or his work, it’s funny because it is a knife and fork shaped like a penis, Hjartarson himself is never made fun of. He is continuously viewed and treated with respect by the filmmakers and this is something to be commended as the film could have so easily made a huge and easy joke out of this man’s dedication to his work.
However, surprisingly the film does have a lot of humor in it and it is not really found in cheap cock jokes. Rather, the humor in the final member is found amongst the two men who offer up their phalluses to the museum. One Pall Arason, a 95 year old Icelandic adventurer and local legend. The other is a middle aged patriotic American whose name escapes me however, his willy goes by the name of Elmo. Both of these characters are almost too ridiculous to be real.
Arason, at 95 spends much of his time talking about all his conquests and how important it is that his penis is displayed in the museum once he has passed as its legend should live on. The American spends a lot of time talking about how large Elmo is and how he always felt that he (this is how refers to his cock) was destined for great things in his life. The American actually goes so far as to have his beloved Elmo tattooed at one point before promising Elmo to Hjartarson before his death. I really don’t want to give away too much of this film because each twist and turn is delightfully fun and ultimately the film is a very warm documentary that really makes you admire Hjartarson and his determination in this life.
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The Final Member is screening at the Luna Leederville as part of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
One more screening left!
Sun, 14 July / 05:30 pm @ Luna Leederville
Tickets here.
