Eructation

Eructation is a short documentary that follows Kaylee Kotkins, a young woman with incredible burping abilities, as she aims to break the world record for the loudest burp, currently set at 107.3 decibels. Her loudest belch to date is 110 decibels in practice, and she uses a decibel reader app on her phone to calculate her burps. This documentary follows her as she prepares to break that record, while also briefly exploring her relationship with her partner, Eric, as he endures Kaylee’s absurd challenge.

One of the most unique aspects of the documentary is not only its original and absurd concept but also the use of decibel numbers as a central narrative device for Kaylee as she utilises other sounds around their home. She finds a plethora of objects, such as a hair dryer, to measure the loudness of her burps. While there isn't much material to sustain a feature-length runtime, its tight runtime works in its favour, as the passionate personality of Kaylee shines through, and the filmmakers get straight to the point without ever stretching the material out. Max Henderson, serving as the film's cinematographer, primarily shoots the documentary with close-ups of Kaylee and overhead shots around her home as she prepares for the challenge. Most of the dialogue is delivered through a litany of exposition, so the audience rarely gets to know Kaylee as a person, but only her intention for the documentary.

Thankfully, many of the comedic elements of the piece land surprisingly well and the inclusion of Kaylee’s partner, Eric, offers a unique perspective on her challenge. The piece is paced incredibly well with some commendable editing choices, making the film feel frenetic in its attempt to match Kaylee’s efforts to beat her record. The brisk pace at which the expository dialogue is delivered can be overwhelming at times; however, it's ultimately a necessary choice to keep the piece utterly engaging throughout. As a viewer, it's hard not to root for Kaylee to achieve her goal, and that's a testament to how instantly the filmmakers draw the audience in, despite its incredibly minimal runtime. The piece also provides some education about the human body and the mechanisms by which we burp to relieve pressure after swallowing air while eating and drinking. The lengths to which she goes to achieve this record are mostly entertaining to endure, and it's not something that has ever really been explored within cinema.

Despite the documentary offering fairly minor context to Kaylee and Eric outside of what is depicted on camera, the direction from Victoria Trow elevates the material by giving the piece some needed propulsive nature. While the conclusion to the piece ends abruptly, Kaylee’s challenge is profoundly executed by the filmmakers, consistently finding evocative ways to frame each scene.

Eructation is a fascinating experimentation held together by Kaylee Kotkin's sheer ambition and some commendable direction and editing choices. While the piece offers fairly minor material outside of the central challenge Kaylee sets for herself, it's an aptly made piece of filmmaking, presenting an absurd concept that is both wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational.

Eructation will celebrate its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival