Thirty miles from the Arctic Circle, in the northern Icelandic town of Husavik, stands the Icelandic Phallological Museum - the world's only penis museum. Over forty years, the founder and curator has collected every specimen from every mammal except for one elusive penis needed to complete his collection: The Human Specimen.

First off, this is not for the faint of heart. You will see many penises, human and otherwise, being cut and boiled... and one man talks about his penis (which he calls "Elmo") braking during a raucous. Guys will wince.

Beyond that, this is actually fairly educational. Not only as a psychological study of the sort of people who would donate their penis to a museum, but what sort of person would collect them. Now, unfortunately, the focus of this story is on the acquisition of the final penis, so there is not much discussion of previous samples. And that is a loss. From a Darwinian natural history point of view, certainly much could be learned about comparing the wide variety of penises and baculum in mammals.

The Final Member is one of the weirdest most unique documentaries I've ever watched. Just the subject sounds surreal, perfect for a movie of the absurd, real as real life can be. The subject could be enough to make a comedy, but this is not a comedy, it is a slice of life presented with humour. One of those documentaries you won't forget.

The Phallological Museum in Husavik (Iceland) is a tiny museum devoted to collecting and exhibiting penises from animals all around the word. A priori, it seems naughty or ridiculous, but it is actually not when you watch this doco and heard the reasons behind the foundation by its founder and curator Sigurður "Siggi" Hjartarson. This documentary follows Siggi in his quest to complete his collection of phalli with a human specimen, interviewing and communicating with possible donors in Europe and America; you cannot go out and chop somebody's willy, no matter how pretty, and put it in a jar even if it is for a museum.

The documentary is mostly a personality or character study, and we come to enter into the mind and life of Siggy and the possible donors, and become part of something truly unique. The two directors approach the subject with a good balance of curiosity, seriousness and interest, treating their subjects with utmost respect and consideration. The result is a serious documentary about the absurdity of life. You will laugh or rather chuckle, but still feel that none of the characters was ridiculed or mistreated to make this film. The characters are not ordinary people, they are extraordinary people, perhaps for the weirdest of reasons. Not everything extraordinary has to be beautiful or mainstream.

Not for the faint hearted.

(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.