Glasgow based writer-director Adura Onashile makes her directorial debut with the award-winning play, now short film, Expensive Shit. What was originally a tale of two toilets is now a tale of just one, in a high-end Glasgow nightclub.
It’s the place where inebriated women stumble in and out, clutching the hems of their mini dresses, or throw up in stalls whilst their girlfriends hold-tie their hair back. Amidst all this chaos, there is Tolu (a nuanced Modupe Adeyeye) dutifully standing by, ready to fulfil the needs of whoever staggers in.
Whether it’s finding the perfect shade of red lipstick for a touch-up, suggesting deeper necklines for added sex appeal or just having a chat with the toilet door open – Tolu seems to be your girl. But her willingness to fade into the background while befriending these women brings her character into question.
Suspicions are seemingly confirmed when you notice the two-way mirror. Usually used to interrogate criminals, it’s now installed in this ladies toilets. Prompted by subtle and coded knocks on the glass, Tolu is directed by her manager David (Nebli Basani) to manipulate the behaviour of women in the restroom so that they flash themselves to the group of men on the other side.
The ‘shit’ of the title hits the fan for Tolu however, when the predators spot their latest prey: her friend, Louise (Kim Allan). The ‘harmless’ mirror-gazing Tolu assists with out of economic necessity, quickly turns into hazing, sexual abuse and more.
_Expensive Shit_ has power in its timeliness.
With a script centred in the very real issues of sexual harassment and assault that remain in a post #MeToo world, Expensive Shit has power in its timeliness. The film’s sparse dialogue paired with Adeyeye’s duplicitous performance makes for a film that is as uncomfortable as it is emotional.
Shot in a real nightclub, Expensive Shit expertly captures the slow-burning tension between the two worlds either side of the glass. And the audience are simply bystanders: viewing the helpless.