I Don't Like Shitting in Public-2024

It could very well be argued that comedy is the most difficult of genres; the most challenging, on a cinematic level, to convey to the audience in an elegant and universally amusing way. It’s also arguably the most subjective genre in terms of comedy – if someone finds something funny, it must have merit, for instance. However, I Don’t Like Shitting in Public is a new short which, no matter how you look at it, succeeds within the comedy genre. There are countless low-budget comedy short films which fail in its messaging to the audience... perhaps they don’t manage to balance narrative engagement and logic with their humorous premise or character (it can be difficult from a screenwriting standpoint to balance the tone); but this 4-minute piece is certainly not one such example. It’s amusing, it’s vulgar, it’s fast-paced and easy to understand. Despite the fact that some of the sound and visuals aren’t quite up to scratch, it works quite nicely as a self-contained joke.

My main complaint is that the film – as dynamic and energetic as it is – overall has a slightly plain digital look about it. There’s something about the video footage which appears as if the shutter speed was strangely slow creating a mild excess of motion blur. Then later mobile phone footage is actually resourceful and fun (for example when the character is traveling on a bus) but occasionally becomes distracting to the eye (the character walking along a street). But keep in mind, there are some terrific bits of camerawork and composition in the movie: early on, an impressively slick whip-pan is implemented during a dialogue sequence between two people -- this can often feel overused in short films, particularly in the Edgar Wright-homage sense, but it feels apt in this instance.

There’s some wonderful sound effect work in the film – namely the piece opens with the unappealing chewing and slurping of food which efficiently establishes the heightened filmic style. Unfortunately, any dialogue (which makes up very little of the movie) is tinny and odd sounding; but honestly, what can you do... it doesn’t detract from the action. A lot of attention has been paid to soundscapes as well as things like footsteps and interior/exterior environments. It all feels finished and well-considered.

The story’s concept is the film’s strongest attribute, and this is also helped along by a really strong and funny central performance whose strained facial expressions and rushed manner conveys all you need to know. Audiences will love the devoted energy of the performance as well as the simple, immediately humorous premise of the picture; a premise which it explores to its fullest and most unexpected ends, with a punchline that you won’t be able to see coming (and some high-level special effects too).

In summation, I Don’t Like Shitting in Public is a highly amusing and highly energetic new comedy short film which is worth a watch. It never feels like it’s overstaying its welcome or meandering around the point. This is undoubtably one of the more thoughtfully constructed, well executed comedic shorts in recent memory.