One hell of a new take on the “chosen one must save the universe” trope.
(Spoiler Free)
I have to say, I was not expecting to have such a good time on a movie set almost entirely in a public restroom. At a glance, the premise “heartbroken man stuck in a bathroom is tasked by an off-screen deity to prevent the apocalypse” sounds, well, bizarre to say the least. And it certainly is bizarre. But it’s also a fantastic mixture of humor and horror, presented with superb filmmaking.
The filmmaking in particular is what I want to focus on most. If you’re going to make an entire movie set in one location, featuring one prominent actor for the vast majority of the film, conversing with a second character hidden behind a door so we only really have the character’s voice to go by, there are a few things you have to nail in order for it it to work.
- Casting
There are three major roles that the crux of the film revolves around: the main character, Wes (Ryan Kwanten), who is recently heartbroken and grows increasingly unhinged; the unseen deity, Ghat (J.K. Simmons), the unseen demigod who guides Wes on his unexpected journey; and Wes’ lost love, Brenda (Sylvia Grace Crim), seen from time to time in flashbacks. The trick to casting these roles lies in their individual capacities. For Wes, it requires an actor who can visually uphold the movie, since most of the shots focus on him and his reactions to his unsettling situation. For Ghat, it requires someone with such a powerful voice that they can carry the conversation without being seen, and potentially convince Wes to doing something drastic. And for Brenda, though featured sparingly, it requires someone able to instantly convey an endearing history with Wes before their relationship went south. This crew did a fantastic job casting all three roles. Naturally, Simmons is going to be a phenomenal actor, no matter the role, but his expert portrayal of Ghat was really something else. Usually voice actors will at least have some sort of visual component like a cartoon character to go along with their voice, but Ghat doesn’t even have this. At best, he has flickers of light and a stall painting. Yet he’s able to convey an array of emotions such as compassion, dominance, disgust, and kindness all just by his voice’s tone and temperament. Also, Wes and Ghat’s dialogue is often surprisingly hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud a lot.
- Setting
We’ve all been to a rest stop at some point in our lives, and I think we can all agree that the restrooms there are never exactly pristine. Since 90% of the movie takes place in such a place, the set design is vital. The design team clearly understood this, because you can really feel their effort. Between the background graffiti, the cracked mirror reflecting Wes’ inner torment, and – most prominently – the monstrous painting surrounding the stall’s glory hole (not to mention the occasional changes throughout the course of the story), I never felt bored looking at the same backdrop the whole time.
- Graphics
In addition to the visuals of the setting, the graphics also play a huge part in this film as the story becomes progressively more and more horrific. Some of this is portrayed in Wes’ visions, while some of it is the glimpses we get of Ghat’s true nature. Without giving too much away, just know that if you are a fan of Eldritch horror, you will likely appreciate the imagery presented here.
My only reservations throughout the movie were certain aspects of the plot, namely why Wes is the one Ghat chooses for such an important task. But in the end, all is explained, and it plays out in a way I’ve never quite seen before. Let’s just say Wes is not your typical hero. This movie might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is definitely unique, entertaining, and a hell of a ride.