Running Time: 70 Minutes
Starring: Jonathan Lambert, Élodie Navarre, Elliot Jenicot, Remy Adriaens
With a career in making short films, director Grégory Morin makes his feature debut with a story set entirely within a single location. This set-up is an effective way to showcase filmmaking prowess within a limited budget, something that is true here, yet it also appears to be a test for how utterly bonkers Morin can make things. If you think you've seen it all regarding single-location films, then Flush is ready to prove you wrong.
Set entirely within a single bathroom, viewers are introduced to Luc (Jonathan Lambert) as he snorts cocaine off his phone. This is just the beginning of a rough night, as he arrives at a nightclub intent on winning back his ex, Val (Élodie Navarre). Their daughter wishes to see her mother, but Val firmly believes that the best hope for her little girl's future is to stay out of her life. Things go from bad to worse when Luc is accused of stealing a heap of coke from the bar's resident dealer. The case of mistaken identity soon becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and it results in Luc's head being stuck in a toilet bowl.
When you look at the premise, it sounds like this could be another wacky comedic segment in a Quentin Dupieux film. While there is much comedy to be mined from this premise, David Neiss' screenplay and Morin's direction also manage to craft such tension within a short runtime. As Luc's predicament sees the broken bowl cutting into his neck, this painful visual is merely the appetiser for the gruesome visuals that are to come, each realised in gnarly fashion. The inventive proceedings see him struggling courtesy of earbud placement, a troublesome rat with a cocaine addiction, and Chekov's gloryhole.
None of this would work without a capable lead performance, and Jonathan Lambert delivers with a portrayal that commits as deeply to the absurd circumstances as the emotional heart. Luc is evidently shown to be someone who continuously disappoints his loved ones, as a revealing phone call with his mother paints a picture of how often he let down others. As he relapses into a coke habit that he spoke of quitting, the situation leaves him hitting rock bottom courtesy of unsanitary horrors, with the character finding himself in deep shit - thankfully, this is only metaphorical.
His motivation across the night is to give his daughter a good birthday by granting her one wish, by bringing home the mother that she misses. This is easier said than done, as Val doubts that she would be a good role model for her offspring, something that Navarre's performance effectively conveys. At its heart, this is a story about parents who fear failing their child, and while the path to betterment may seem difficult, all it takes are the first steps.
A tightly crafted work that is an absolute riot, Flush will make you gasp, gag, and guffaw with laughter. If the opportunity arrives to see this with an audience, make sure you do as this film will play phenomenally at late night screenings.
Flush made its World Premiere at Fantasia Festival 2025
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