Directors: Jonah Bekhor, Zach Math
MPAA Rating: R
Film Pulse Score: 8/10
When reading the premise behind Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math’s documentary The Final Member, one doesn’t imagine they would be witnessing such a beautiful and touching film. It’s about a guy who owns a penis museum in Iceland and is trying to obtain a human specimen for his collection. Yes, it sounds weird, and it is, but the film’s subject, Sigurður Hjartarson, is such a compassionate and lovable guy, that it’s hard not to simply accept that collecting penises is just an everyday thing.
For over 40 years, “Siggy” has been collecting the penises from all creatures great and small to put on display at his phallic museum 30 miles outside the Arctic Circle. He’s collected everything from tiny hamster penises to giant sperm whale penises, but there’s always been one specimen that’s eluded him for years, and that wait may be over.
Siggy locates two individuals willing to be the first to donate their members- one a 93-year-old man from Iceland and the other a man in his 70s from the U.S. The 93-year-old plans to donate his member posthumously, but the man from America wants to see people admiring his donation so he tends to have it surgically removed. The conversations with this guy prove to be way more odd than anything involving Siggy or the museum.
What helps The Final Member to rise above the usual crop of fringe hobby docs that have been coming out of the woodwork as of late is the quality behind this production. Every shot is artfully done, in a way that makes even the most grotesque penis in a jar somehow look beautiful. Of course, it helps that the film takes place in Iceland, one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth.
Coupled with the visuals, is an endearing cast of characters. Despite his odd hobby, Siggy commands the screen with a lovable presence that makes us want to see him succeed. He has such a unique and pure outlook on life that it’s easy to hang on his every word. He knows what he collects is strange and that’s one reason he does it.
By the end of the film nearly had me choked up, something I didn’t expect to happen at all. The powerful music mixed with the passion behind Siggy’s quest and some great cinematography marked a fantastic end.
Sure, the concept of a movie about a man collecting penises is strange and I probably wouldn’t have watched this if I didn’t have to review it, but I’m very glad I did. There are a number of cringe-worthy moments, but it’s a heartfelt, funny, and ultimately beautiful film that ends up being about so much more than just penises.
