Poster of The Final Member

The Final Member

Documentary, Comedy, Drama

Director: Jonah Bekhor, Zach Math

Release Date: April 18, 2014

Where to Watch

The Final Member focuses on the search of the Icelandic Phallological Museum’s creator, Sigurður Hjartarson, to complete his collection with a human penis, but the trick is to find a willing and sane donor with the necessary qualifications. I wish that the filmmakers organized the film better. In the middle of the documentary, it randomly focused on his interest in preserving a species of fox native to Iceland and formerly considered a pest. How does this fit? Sure it emphasizes his statement that he has no desire to harm animals or human beings, and that his past work was published, but other than alluding to him being a teacher (of what???) who likes to examine information considered taboo or hidden from public view, there are many unanswered questions. I needed more information on Sigurður Hjartarson as a teacher before he became a curator and elaborated more on why he decided to collect penises after an initial gift. The Final Member promises a human penis and the film becomes a contest for who will provide it: an American, a famous Icelander or the curator himself? The Final Member becomes a tale of mortality and the struggle to survive and be famous postmortem. It somehow seems sad that one of the three’s men’s legacy solely resides in a part of him that he played no role in developing. When the curator of penis museum thinks that you’re a little off, it is time to get help. The Final Member’s creators veer from a PBS style documentary and portray a more humorous, reality tv approach. After awhile, a parade of mythological, animal and human penises gets boring even with the jokes. The Final Member is not a must see, but you will learn something interesting about Icelandic culture along the way.

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