By Frederick Laramie

Professional film critic & guest contributor


Posted Wednesday, May 9, 2007, The OG, arts

Note: On April 6, Uni's International Filmmakers United club — IFMU for short — debuted two student-produced films, “The Bathroom” and “The All-Nighter.” Devin Johnson directed both films; he also wrote and starred in “The Bathrom.” Fellow senior Scott Sapp wrote and starred in “The All-Nighter.” Johnson and Sapp will be directing this year's Big Show, which will take place 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. To get a professional's view of the artistic abilities of Johnson and Sapp, the Gargoyle commissioned renowned film critic Frederick Laramie to review both movies. Full disclosure: Mr. Laramie's brother will make an appearance in Big Show.

To refresh your memory of the films, here is the trailer:

“THE BATHROOM” AND “The All-Nighter,” two short films released by IFMU film club this year, are extraordinary examinations of society, government, and the human psyche. Through metaphors and allegories, filmmaker Devin Johnson explores topics we try to guiltily avoid with a vicious and tactful fervor unmatched by any other young director I have seen in the past 10 years. For those unfamiliar with the films, or simply oblivious to the themes I have mentioned, allow me to enlighten you.

“The Bathroom,” at face value, is a powerful thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire 10 minutes, anxious to see if the hero will get the girl and avoid the public humiliation of accidentally urinating on his trousers. But, if examined closer, the inquisitive mind will find the film is plentiful with substantial qualities.

The young man in the film, played by the writer and director Devin Johnson, is stricken with a terrible dilemma: He has peed on himself. In the film, the pee represents society's problems, and the boy peeing on himself brings all of society's troubles and tribulations painfully to light. The young man immediately attempts to solve and eliminate these problems in an attempt to rescue society from the dredges it has become wedged in, but to no avail. He realizes the futility of repairing society's errors but must continue to live with them.

It is at this time that his love interest steps into the picture, but by a stroke of luck for the protagonist, she is completely oblivious to the massive pee stain that has stained his jeans. She, representing the people of the world, the onlookers, ignores the errors of society, essentially sweeping them under the metaphorical rug in favor of a blissful obliviousness that favors those too weak to seek change and too afraid to accept fate.

This is a brilliant use of symbolism to represent humanity's uneasy relationship with the society we began and hold so dear, as well as the unfortunate realities of the hopelessness we face when it comes to improving society's faults. “The Bathroom” shows that we are doomed to the destruction society wreaks and to turning a blind eye to the ruin it leaves in its path.

“The All-Nighter,” another short film directed by Johnson but this time written by and starring Scott Sapp, is the story of a pathetic old hobo, tortured by the juxtaposition of his memories of youthful glory and his disgusting and despicable present form, getting another taste of victory when he “saves” a young boy's life, and afterward decides to milk the kind deed for all it's worth.

The hobo represents the American government, an organization once known as the noble defender of justice in the free world in its youth. America, like the hobo, fell out of these days of splendor through the Cold War debacle and foreign policy mishaps.

The red, white, and blue hobo is on his last legs when the story begins, struggling for any success he can find. While creeping around, he invades the home of a young boy and claims to save his life, when really he has only disrupted the boy's state of living, delivering misery rather than salvation. Sound familiar? It should. The boy represents Iraq and is played by AbderRahman Sobh, a talented young actor of Middle Eastern descent.

After the hobo “saves” the boy's life, he insists that the boy should be thankful and give him a reward, such as a computer or a bath. This is a perfectly rendered parallel to the current Iraq War, with the American government asserting that it has brought democracy and peace to the foreign country and that it should be given praise for its poorly crafted deeds.

The subtleties implemented by Johnson in both films are incredible. The comedic properties that are flaunted in the works for entertainment value's sake is used as celluloid opium to seduce the public into viewing the films, pulling them in and holding them there until they realize the true messages the films are presenting.

Unfortunately, most minds will not recognize the true genius that is at work in “The Bathroom” and “The All-Nighter” and will simply be content in laughing at pee jokes and a man in a fake beard running around Meijer. I pity those masses, and can only hope that this in-depth analysis will make even the most unsophisticated Neanderthals look twice when viewing “The Bathroom” and “The All-Nighter” again.

RELATED

— Trailer: “The Bathroom” and “The All-Nighter”

— Gargoyle coverage: The Gargoyle's inside scoop on filmmaker Devin Johnson

— Gargoyle audio podcast: Devin Johnson talks film

— Gargoyle coverage: IFMU Movie Night: Uni filmmaking club to host premiere of student work