(warning: this review may prematurely reveal some spoilers)
"The Final Member" is a gripping documentary with a single thrust - the quest by the phallological museum's creator and curator, Sigurður Hjartarson, to secure a human specimen. Although firm in this mission, the film does not make his motivations too pointed. In fact, he comes off as an entirely relatable and warm character that you will not find yourself shrinking from the cold biological and medical truths of what he's trying to achieve. You can just tell that he's not just a man of science, his heart is in fact throbbing with love for nature and the craft of his work.
Perhaps the only prickly character in this whole film was the American donor, Tom Mitchell, who wants himself to come first and foremost by being the first human to donate his member to the museum. However, he is in competition with a 90 year old Icelandic adventurer, Páll Arason, who has vowed to donate his parts upon the consummation of his life. And with this, Mr. Mitchell is willing to cut the line and beat him off to the finish... by planning to have his Elmo - what he has named his beloved sexual organ - surgically removed.
This is the main conflict in this story and I must say, it provides an intriguing clash where you have two phalluses competing for one spot - certainly not the first time this has happened in human history. The editing is masterful and it in fact tugs you left and right, making you unsure how things are going to finish off. But then, the climax comes, and in the end, one of them gets inside before the other, thus securing its owner's 'immortality' if you will.
"The Final Member" is a gripping documentary with a single thrust - the quest by the phallological museum's creator and curator, Sigurður Hjartarson, to secure a human specimen. Although firm in this mission, the film does not make his motivations too pointed. In fact, he comes off as an entirely relatable and warm character that you will not find yourself shrinking from the cold biological and medical truths of what he's trying to achieve. You can just tell that he's not just a man of science, his heart is in fact throbbing with love for nature and the craft of his work.
Perhaps the only prickly character in this whole film was the American donor, Tom Mitchell, who wants himself to come first and foremost by being the first human to donate his member to the museum. However, he is in competition with a 90 year old Icelandic adventurer, Páll Arason, who has vowed to donate his parts upon the consummation of his life. And with this, Mr. Mitchell is willing to cut the line and beat him off to the finish... by planning to have his Elmo - what he has named his beloved sexual organ - surgically removed.
This is the main conflict in this story and I must say, it provides an intriguing clash where you have two phalluses competing for one spot - certainly not the first time this has happened in human history. The editing is masterful and it in fact tugs you left and right, making you unsure how things are going to finish off. But then, the climax comes, and in the end, one of them gets inside before the other, thus securing its owner's 'immortality' if you will.