Back in September 2017 the UK media was engrossed by the tantalising story of a young woman who got trapped after throwing her turd out the window. Not to be outdone by us Brits, American filmmaker Eric Larson decided to explore this very topic in his aptly named comedy-horror ‘The Clogging’. Prepare yourself for a delightfully ridiculous 4 minutes, which will hopefully make you think twice the next time you need to drop a deuce at a party.
Clogging a toilet can be both horrifying and hilarious, especially when it happens in the company of others, and I wanted this film to capture – and dial WAY up – the darkly funny anxiety a moment like that can produce.
The bathroom where we all find ourselves is perfectly decked out with everything you could want from such a location. Its banality belies its hidden horrors. A normally jovial rubber ducky and a toy dolphin become taunting objects of terror, and are standout aspects of Larson’s production. You can tell thought has gone into every single item and the immaculate mise en scène is commendable.
‘The Clogging’ uses diegetic sound to great effect. From the constant gurgling of a toilet ready to explode, to the wet and thick dip being enjoyed in the kitchen, the sound design impresses. It is evocative of how tuned in our desperate party goer must be to everything around him – including his sad, squelching walk of shame out of the bathroom to his hasty exit.
The rattling door knob cuts to a phone text message (“what’s taking you so long?”), to the bath and the sadistic rubber ducky, then back to the phone (“did u die in there?”). The editing is sharp, succinct and skilful at relaying the trauma and rising panic our partygoer is desperately holding in – excuse the pun!
Last but not least the writing. This is a micro short and we have covered the visuals and the creepy bathroom accessories, but what about the dialogue? The duck’s mocking innuendo (“one might say you’re shit out of luck!”) is offset by the dolphin’s tawdry theology (“use the plunger that God gave yer … He’s a cruel and unforgiving God … alright Moses, part the brown sea!”). You get the picture. ‘The Clogging’ is equal parts gross, equal parts hilarious, with a splash of genius.
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