Watch Kissed

Kissed is a 1996 Canadian film that tells the story of Sandra Larson, a young woman fascinated by the physical and emotional aspects of death. As a child, Sandra experiences the death of her pet rabbit, leading her to develop an intense curiosity about death and the afterlife. She becomes so obsessed with death that she studies embalming and becomes a mortician in her adulthood.

Sandra's fascination with death takes a turn when she meets Matt, a man who shares her fascination with death and the afterlife. The two become intimately involved and explore their shared interests through sexual acts and necrophilia. Their relationship is complicated by societal taboos and Matt's growing jealousy over Sandra's work in the mortuary.

As Sandra's relationship with Matt unravels, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her work and the idea of merging life and death. She begins to fantasize about becoming a corpse herself and describes the feeling of being embalmed as akin to being "swaddled in silk." Her obsession culminates in a shocking and disturbing climax.

Kissed is a challenging exploration of the human relationship with death, love, and intimacy. Molly Parker delivers a captivating performance as Sandra, bringing a depth and nuance to the character's complex desires and motivations. Peter Outerbridge is equally compelling as Matt, portraying the character's vulnerabilities and jealousies with honesty and sensitivity.

The film's exploration of necrophilia is handled with a delicate hand, never exploiting the taboo subject matter for gratuitous shock value. Instead, director Lynne Stopkewich uses the film's unconventional love story as a lens through which to examine human impulses and desires.

The film's cinematography is also noteworthy, with Stopkewich using a muted color palette to create an eerie, dreamlike atmosphere. The camera lingers on the details of the mortuary, capturing the austere beauty of death and the intricate process of embalming.

Kissed is not an easy film to watch, but it is a thought-provoking and compelling work of cinema that challenges audiences to confront their own relationship with death and sexuality. It is a haunting exploration of taboo desires and the complex emotions that drive our impulses.