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★★★★
Directed by: #AndrewWright
Written by: Andrew Wright, #MarkSear
Starring: #MarkNocent, #HaydenFinkelshtain, #AlexFrankson, #JamesSoaresCorreia
Belushi's Toilet Movie Review
Drugs are not bad, m'kay, in this comedy sci-fi from director Andrew Wright.
Belushi's Toilet is set in a world where narcotics use is completely acceptable if not encouraged. So a misfit group of lads seek to find the perfect high without the inevitable comedown.
Mark Nocent, Hayden Finkelshtain, Alex Frankson, and James Soares-Correia play the aforementioned friends, the latter of whom's character has access to new and exciting legal but untested drugs. Together they use weekends to test and trial new doses and report back to each other on the remarkable, and sometimes terrifying, side effects. It's like American Pie meets Trainspotting set in the future.
Aside from the terrible name and overlong running time, there is a lot to like about Belushi's Toilet. Wright and co-writer Mark Sear continually tap into intriguing philosophical dilemmas with their characters and plot, and explore ideas that only a new world order could sustain. There is a playfulness to the #filmmaking, with plenty of surrealism, to ensure the audience is on board for the trip. At times, the preachy dialogue regarding existentialism and the universe feels indulgent, like watching a group of high guys filibustering beyond their welcome at a party, but many of these scenes contain nuggets of wisdom and at least entertaining paranoia.
The chemistry between the four leads works well, with each performer seeming to riff off the increasing anxiety of the other. As events spiral and the fabric of their lucidity tears, so does their friendship and this is the most compelling aspect of the indie movie. A subplot involving the failing health of Adrian's (Nocent) grandmother also provides a welcome amount of emotional depth and investment for the viewer. It is Nocent who cements the film overall, with a strong performance that resonated for being comedic and laced with pathos.
Other films that have explored the futility and potential hypocrisy (alcohol is a drug too guys) of a War on Drugs often focus on the gangs and violence that emerge to service the demand. With Belushi's Toilet, and this is what makes it a fairly remarkable indie film, we get to see what happens with average people in a society where recreational drug use is, well, recreational. The effect on human relationships is explored intelligently and there are some good laughs along the way.
It probably has more in common with Pineapple Express than Requiem For A Dream but Belushi's Toilet is a worthwhile dose of ambitious storytelling. Whilst side effects include prolonged running time and a flaccid final third, the comedown is well worth the highs.
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