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From the Drain More at IMDbPro »

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The earliest example of Cronenberg's genius

Author: Fabian
18 January 2001

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Yes, I've seen 'From The Drain'! Do I get a certificate or something? Am I the most dedicated Cronenfan ever? Surely one of them (or at least I'd like to think I was, as do all obsessives). Until recently, 'Stereo' and 'Crimes of the Future' were the ultimate target for obscurity, but here is a new one.

Anyway, this black and white short (roughly 13 mins) is simply brilliant, in my humble opinion. Shot in a darkened bathroom, it concerns a surreal dialogue between two very strange men sitting in a bath (that probably counts as a spoiler for this film). One man is camp and talkative, while the other is a nervous nutter, concerned that a bathplug be placed in the 'drain end of the tub' to stop 'tendrils' from 'coming up from the drain'. I won't go into too much detail, because the dialogue is the basis of the film.

This snapshot of a film actually has a sense of warmth and humanity not necessarily present in Cronenberg's later work, partly achieved by the charming soundtrack, and it is also more avant-garde in style, but the sinister, strange, and slightly detached qualities that went on to become his trademark are equally present, as the title suggests.

I cannot praise 'From The Drain' highly enough, and it is possibly now my favourite short of all time (up there with 'Un Chien Andalou'). If you get a chance to see it, make sure you do.

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