Subarna Dash is an animation filmmaker based in India. She’s an alumna of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata. Her films have been screened and awarded at prestigious festivals such as Berlinale, Toronto (TIFF), SXSW, Annecy and others. “The Girl Who Lived in the Loo” is her latest work.
The Girl Who Lived in the Loo is screening at Beskop Tshechu Film Festival
The animation begins with pink colors dominating, and a girl reading a text about a girl who lived in the loo. The girl is nervous, and someone calls her to read louder, with her reluctance causing laughter from the crowd. At the same time, she seems to be naked, while toiletological references, including corresponding sounds, are frequently interspersed. Then we move to the first chapter, where the same girl talks about how the loo gives her the same great feeling she gets when eating an ice cream sandwich. The fascination of the girl with the bathroom continues until the end of the 12-minute short.
The pencil-like drawing and the intense close-ups work quite well for the short, particularly since the movement through animation is constant, an approach that imbues the narrative with a fast pace that also adds to the entertainment it offers. The surrealistic elements, including horror ones, permeate the movie, although the fact that they derive from and result in social commentary is also evident.
The alienation the protagonist feels, and the fact that the isolation of the toilet provides solace for her, is quite evident, even if frequently presented through humor, as in the case of the metaphor about lizards and the comments on public toilets. The agoraphobia, however, that seems to be one of the main issues the protagonist experiences, is quite serious, as is the disconnect she feels from her family. That the solution she finds, after her sister’s suggestion, lies in alcohol adds another layer of commentary.
To return to the drawing, although simple in terms of lines, it nevertheless shows intricacy—particularly in the scenes where many different objects appear on screen at the same time.
In the end, “The Girl Who Lived in the Loo” is a competent work that manages to make its social comments through humor, extremity, and originality, by a director who is bound to have an impact moving forward.
