MovieChat Forums > L'imbalsamatore (2002) Discussion > Did I miss something?

Did I miss something?

posted 20 years ago by ddavis-14
11 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie last night. There was a scene where Pepino pulled out a gun. Then he and Valerio got into a SUV and took off. The next scene showed them being followed by Deborah in a car. Valerio was driving and Pepino was in the back seat. It look like he was partially covered up, but he was alive. The next scene shows Valerio and Deborah dumping the SUV with Pepino's body in it into a lake. It's obvious that Pepino is dead but when was he killed? And how? The movie never showed that scene. Was it left out intentionally? Thanks for any enlightenment you can give me on this.

[–] john-485 19 years ago

Immediately after the two men get in the car you see a yellow flash and hear what sounds like a gunshot. For a while you are left in doubt about who killed who...

John L

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] insomniac_rod 16 years ago

"Pepino's eyes are blank and unblinking, so he is dead"

I say that explains everything. It's obvious that Valerio killed Peppino (he wanted badly to escape, go with Valerio to Cuba).

"Hate is baggage, life's too short to be pissed off all the time".

[–] latinese 16 years ago

Yes... the basic idea of the film is that you think you have a bad guy (Peppino) against two good people (Valerio and his girlfriend), but in the end you're told that the bad guy was killed by two badder folks. This also tells you that Valerio was corrupted by Peppino and his lifestyle. Powerful!

[–] richwar 15 years ago

The two final scenes perplexed me.

The first is Deborah's parents having breakfast. Her mother calls to her saying it's already 7:30. The camera drifts into darkness. I assume this means that Deborah isn't back from dumping Peppino's car (and body) into the water. But so what? Why is it important that her parents call for her and she doesn't answer if we already know where she is?

The second is the final scene that runs under the credits. Who is that walking away from the camera? The person isn't tall enough to be Valerio but is short enough to be Peppino. Are we supposed to believe that Peppino is still alive?

I liked this movie very much, but these last two scenes kind of threw me. I believe that every scene is in a film for a reason but I can't figure out what the reasons are for the final two scenes in this film.

[–] bertdockx 11 years ago

about your 'first scene': they probably are home already, but still in bed, although it doesn't really matter whether they are. what matters, what the scene is telling, is that valerio is now finally stuck in the potentially pretty suffocating life of deborah and her parents, 'family life', without the potential adventure peppino could offer to valerio.

'second scene': it is peppino that we see walking away. it doesn't mean he's still alive, the scene just gives us a last view of the character, and suggests that his image, his memory will forever haunt valerio and deborah; no way to get rid of him after what they've been through. also, it establishes peppino one more time as not just a character, but a symbol for hidden, dark desires that live inside valerio, a 'demon' if you like.

this is just my interpretation of course, although i'm quite convinced that i'm not too far off the mark.

[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 12 years ago

U were expecting sense from an Italian junk fest? Nowhere near as "good" as the original 1964 masterwork. That is supernal beyond belief.

"Beware of the waiting room."

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] KarlSwan 10 years ago

I didn't knew this film (L'imbalsamatore from 2002) was a remake from an older film... so this is news to me... I would like to see this one you're talking about, I tried to look it for myself, but it seems it doesn't have the same name, so what's the name or who directed it? thanks.