Over a rustic workbench, two men marvel over length, breadth and girth. Their subject of discussion is exactly what most would imagine, and yet, their conversation is far from the male posturing expected. Their fascination stems not from ego and envy, but from curiousity and cataloguing.
For the past 40 years, Reykjavík resident Sigurður ‘Siggi’ Hjartarson has sourced phallic specimens of every imaginable size and species. After being gifted a bull’s penis as a gag, his casual interest became a full-time commitment. In 1997, the culmination of Siggi’s captivation opened: the now-renowned Icelandic Phallalogical Museum, the only one of its kind in the world.
Alas, though the gallery of mammalian male parts and hand-carved penis-shaped paraphenalia has brought fame to the retired teacher and prolific author, something is missing. Not through lack of trying, he has been unable to complete a collection that spans from the tiny remnants of a hamster to the enormity of a whale’s genitalia. Extinct animals also adorn his array of organs, as stored and displayed in jar upon jar of formaldehyde. The elusive, absent crowning family jewels: a human appendage.
In The Final Member, debut directors Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math detail Siggi’s pursuit with affection, amusement, and always open minds. In fitting with the well-meaning joke that set their subject on his unusual life-long endeavour, an upbeat atmosphere surrounds their chronicle, celebrating the eccentricities of their inspiration and the two candidates – 95-year-old local legend and ladies man Pall Arason, and younger, more determined Californian Tom Mitchell – willing to part with their penises for posterity.
Though comedy shines through, so does empathy; Bekhor and Math value respect over irreverence. Again, they take their cues from the ever-modest Siggi, who remains earnest and impassioned even as his highly intimate story traverses territory that tests his personal and professional limits. Playing it straight also aids in the examination of the aging, ailing Arason and obsessed, over-confident Mitchell, their personalities more pronounced and – in less thoughtul hands – prone to exaggeration. Together, the trio offer a complementary contrast of masculinity, centred on the obvious but delving into the psychology that comes with such prominent physiology.
Stylistically, there’s smoothness but little aesthetic flair to The Final Member; however, as is often the case in documentary filmmaking predicated upon a potent concept, the content more than compensates for the standard construction. The helmers show their technique in the astute assembly of the film’s narrative thread, cultivating ample intrigue from the journeys of the three men that monopolise the feature, and crafting an appropriate emotional experience filled with humour and humanity. Instinct and understanding are evident in their approach, a few awkward excursions into local folklore and legislation notwithstanding. Given its focus, the film’s sweetness and sincerity may surprise – but its sociological value and side-splitting insights come with the subject.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
The Final Member
Director: Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math
Canada, 2012, 90 mins
Sydney Underground Film Festival
suff.com.au
5 – 8 September
(Pictured: A unique Reykjavík tourist attraction.)
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