THE EMBALMER aka L'IMBALSAMATORE

Year: 2002
USA: First Run Features
Cast: Ernesto Mahieux, Valerio Foglia Manzillo, Elisabetta Rocchetti, Lina Bernardi, Pietro Biondi, Bernardino Terracciano, Marcella Granito
Director: Matteo Garrone
Country: Italy
Language: Italian (English subtitles)
USA: 101 mins
USA Release Date: 18 July 2003 (Limited Release - New York)

Synopsis

Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux), a taxidermist and embalmer, employs the handsome Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo), a former waiter, to work for him. So Valerio finds himself as the over-paid employee/companion to a generous boss with possible connections to the Mafia. When the two men go drinking in bars and pick up some prostitutes to have some fun, Valerio discovers Peppino is attracted to him and starts to hit on him. Valerio though is straight and immediately rebuffs him. Meanwhile, Valerio meets a beautiful woman, Deborah (Elisabetta Rocchetti), and they fall in love, but Deborah soon senses the threat she faces from Peppino. Suddenly Valerio life has become very complicated and he is torn between the allure of the free-spending Peppino and his love for Deborah...