What Is Kissed About?
The premise of Kissed in 290 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a quiet town where the line between the living and the dead is constantly whispered about, the story unfolds within the hushed corridors of a funeral home and the sterile halls of a university biology lab. The setting is steeped in the ritualistic atmosphere of embalming rooms, morgue lights that flicker like distant beacons, and the unsettling calm of a car‑wash‑spun hearse gliding through rain‑slick streets. This world feels both clinical and lyrical, a place where the ordinary is tinged with an undercurrent of reverence for what most try to forget.
Sandra Larson has been drawn to death since childhood, turning the macabre into a personal art form—dancing with animal corpses, staging improvised funerals, and dissecting small beings with a reverent hand. Now an apprentice embalmer under the watchful eye of Mr. Wallis, she shares the morgue’s quiet obsession with a kindred spirit, the janitor Jan, who believes that even the stillest bodies retain a lingering soul. A chance encounter with Matt, a medical student forced to study cadavers for his coursework, introduces a fragile connection between two people who both navigate the boundary between life and death. Their bond is built on curiosity, shared rituals, and an unspoken tension that hints at deeper, uncharted desires.
The film moves with a slow, eerie grace, letting the audience feel the weight of each breath in a space where silence speaks louder than words. Its tone balances stark realism with poetic melancholy, inviting viewers to contemplate the allure of mortality through the eyes of those who tend to its remains. As Sandra continues her intimate choreography with the departed, an unsettling question lingers: how far can one dance with the dead before the pull of the living becomes impossible to ignore?
What Happens in Kissed?
The complete story of Kissed, from the first scene to the last, in 298 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
From childhood, Sandra Larson has been drawn to death, a fascination that begins with dancing with animal corpses at night and giving them improvised funerals. She performs this in front of her only friend, a girl named Carol, whose friendship later ends. In college, Sandra studies biology, carefully dissecting the bodies of small animals, trying not to distort them.
She takes a job at a funeral home to stay close to the dead, where a janitor named Jan shares her belief that dead bodies still hold a soul. During a vivid moment, while driving a hearse with a body in the back through a car wash, Sandra sees a shining light, suggesting the soul might be somewhere beyond the skin.
The Body, [Aurora Persischetti](/ actor/aurora-persischetti), enters Sandra’s world as she is apprenticed to Mr. Wallis in embalming. She begins formal mortuary studies and meets Matt, a medical student who also must study cadavers for his major. They begin dating, drawn by a shared curiosity about life, death, and the boundary between them. They spend nights together in Matt’s basement apartment, yet Sandra continues to return to the mortuary, where she celebrates the dead through ritual dances that gradually become more intimate with the corpses.
Matt’s concern grows when he realizes he is competing with the dead for Sandra’s affection. He tries to talk to her about her necrophilia, but she resists. In response, he starts visiting her at the funeral home, a move that unsettles her and threatens the fragile balance in their relationship. As Sandra’s grip on the living world tightens, Matt finds himself pushed to extreme measures in an effort to win her back. The tale crescendos toward a tragic outcome, where the pull of the dead collides with the needs of the living, leaving lasting consequences.
Kissed Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Childhood fascination with death begins” to “Aftermath and consequences”. 12 events name a place, across 10 locations.
- 1
Childhood fascination with death begins
From a young age, Sandra is drawn to death, dancing with animal corpses and staging improvised funerals in her own yard. She performs these rituals in front of her best friend Carol, who will later drift away. These early encounters plant a lifelong curiosity about what lies beyond life.
When:Early childhood Where:Sandra's childhood neighborhood
- 2
Friendship with Carol deteriorates
As Sandra's obsession deepens, the carefree bond with Carol frays and eventually ends. Carol grows distant as Sandra's world becomes more secret and ritualized. The split marks a turning point toward isolation and a singular focus on death.
When:Late childhood Where:Hometown
- 3
College biology studies
In college, Sandra studies biology and teaches herself to dissect small animals, trying to preserve each specimen without distortion. The meticulous care mirrors her desire to understand life’s limits. The lab becomes a gateway to a deeper engagement with death.
When:College years Where:University biology lab
- 4
Takes job at funeral home
Seeking proximity to the dead, Sandra takes a job at a funeral home. There she speaks with Jan, the janitor who believes dead bodies still hold a soul. Their conversations frame death as a living presence, not merely an end.
When:Early professional life Where:Funeral home
- 5
Pivotal car-wash moment
A surreal moment occurs when she drives a hearse with a body through a car wash, the spray and lights creating a nearly spiritual glare. In that moment she perceives a shining light suggesting the soul may reside beyond the skin. The scene foreshadows her widening belief in life’s persistence within the dead.
When:During early career Where:Car wash
- 6
Apprentice to Mr. Wallis
Sandra enters formal mortuary studies and becomes an apprentice to Mr. Wallis, learning embalming techniques. She meets Matt, a medical student who also studies cadavers, and their paths begin to intertwine. The two are drawn together by a shared curiosity about life, death, and boundaries between them.
When:Beginning of apprenticeship Where:Funeral home mortuary program
- 7
Meets Matt, the medical student
Sandra and Matt begin dating, drawn by their mutual fascination with mortality. They spend nights together in Matt’s basement apartment, sharing secrets and a fragile romance. Meanwhile, Sandra’s ties to the mortuary grow stronger as her rituals intensify.
When:Early relationship Where:Matt's basement apartment and the funeral home vicinity
- 8
Rituals and intimacy with the dead intensify
Even as she opens her heart to Matt, Sandra continues to return to the mortuary where she marks the dead with ritual dances that become more intimate with the corpses. The living-understandable boundaries between them blur as her private ceremonies bleed into their relationship. Matt notices the growing imbalance and worries about what she is becoming.
When:Mid period Where:Funeral home and Matt's basement apartment
- 9
Matt confronts Sandra about necrophilia
Matt directly confronts Sandra about her necrophilia, trying to ground her in reality and protect their relationship. Sandra resists, arguing that the dead are part of her and that boundaries are shifting. The confrontation accelerates the couple’s unraveling.
When:Confrontation point Where:Funeral home
- 10
Matt's attempts to win her back
In a desperate bid to save her, Matt begins visiting the funeral home himself, hoping to reconnect and remind Sandra of life’s value. He confronts the rituals and the pull of the corpses, risking himself in the process. Sandra’s world continues to tilt toward the dead even as he enters it more deeply.
When:After confrontation Where:Funeral home
- 11
Tension escalates toward tragedy
The tension between living desire and the pull of the dead escalates toward a tragic climax. Boundaries blur as care becomes possession, and the couple pays a terrible price. The film shows how obsession can reshape a life and its relationships.
When:Climax Where:Funeral home and surrounding spaces
- 12
Aftermath and consequences
The aftermath reveals the lasting consequences of crossing the line into necrophilia and obsession. Sandra and Matt confront the costs to themselves and to those around them. The story ends with a haunting question about where a soul truly resides after death and at what price obsession demands.
When:Aftermath Where:Community setting; funeral home
Who Are the Main Characters in Kissed?
6 characters, among them Sandra Larson, Carol and Jan: who each one is and the part they play in the story. 1 of them link to the actor’s page.
- SL
Sandra Larson
A biology student with a lifelong fascination with death. She meticulously dissects small animals in college labs and later pursues mortuary science to be closer to the dead. Her obsession escalates into necrophilic rituals, creating a dangerous rift between living relationships and her fixation on the dead.
- 🧬 Biology
- 🕯️ Obsession
- C
Carol
Sandra's childhood friend, who witnesses her morbid fascination and the dances with corpses. The bizarre rituals strain their friendship and foreshadow the social consequences of Sandra's fixation.
- 👧 Childhood friend
- 💔 Friendship
- J
Jan
The funeral home janitor who believes, like Sandra, that dead bodies still have a soul. He embodies a superstition about mortality that contrasts with more clinical approaches to death.
- 🧼 Janitor
- 👻 Soul belief
- MW
Mr. Wallis
A mentor who apprentices Sandra in embalming, guiding her through mortuary practices and the technical side of handling the dead.
- 👨🏫 Mentor
- 🧪 Mortuary science
- M
Matt
A medical student who dates Sandra and is intrigued by her death fascination. When she resists discussion of necrophilia, he becomes distressed and resorts to drastic measures to win her over.
- 💊 Medical Student
- 💞 Love interest
- TB
The Body
Played by Aurora Persischetti
The corpse that becomes the focal point of Sandra's rituals, symbolizing mortality and the boundary between life and death. It embodies the film's unsettling tension between desire and mortality.
- 💀 Corpse
- 🖤 Object of obsession
Where and When Is Kissed Set?
Kissed is set in funeral home, mortuary, college, car wash and basement apartment (1990s). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1990s
Set in the 1990s, the story unfolds within modern urban and suburban North American settings. The era's attitudes toward science, sexuality, and death shape Sandra's exploration of mortality. The period's social constraints heighten the tension between living relationships and obsessive fascination with the dead.
Where
funeral home, mortuary, college, car wash, basement apartment
Locations include a college campus, a funeral home and mortuary, a car wash, and a personal basement apartment. The funeral home provides clinical settings where embalming and encounters with the dead occur. A car wash scene and dimly lit spaces underscore the contrast between everyday life and Sandra's morbid rituals.
- 🕯️ Funeral home
- 🏫 College campus
- 🚗 Car wash
- 🏚️ Basement apartment
What Are the Themes of Kissed?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Death Obsession, Mortuary Science and Love vs Death.
-
01
Death Obsession
From childhood, Sandra's fascination with death drives her actions. She dances with animal corpses and later obsessively engages with dead bodies in the mortuary. The narrative uses her fixation to explore the pull of mortality and the danger of blurring boundaries between life and death. The story shows how obsession can erode relationships and moral boundaries.
-
02
Mortuary Science
Sandra channels her curiosity into embalming and mortuary science, studying the deceased with precision. The film juxtaposes scientific technique with beliefs about souls and the afterlife. Her professional training amplifies the conflict between reason and compulsion. The tension between empirical discipline and supernatural speculation drives the tragedy.
-
03
Love vs Death
Matt's relationship with Sandra shows a living counterpart to her mortality fixation. He tries to connect and understand her, but her obsession redefines their bond around the dead. The film questions whether love can survive a partner who chooses death over life. The outcome reveals the devastating cost of choosing the dead over the living.
What Kind of Film Is Kissed?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Sad
A deeply unsettling and somber psychological horror that intimately follows a woman's obsessive fascination with death, creating a claustrophobic and melancholic atmosphere of taboo desire.
- disturbing
- unsettling
- obsessive
- somber
- intimate horror
- melancholic
- necrophilia
- obsession with death
- mortality
- dark romance
Content notes: necrophilia, sexual content with a corpse, tragic ending.
Quiz
How well do you remember Kissed? Test yourself on the story.
