VERDICT: The women’s toilet in a nightclub becomes the site of miniature disasters and minor catastrophes in Angelika Abramovitch’s multi-stranded and surprisingly affecting short.
Often portrayed as a space for gossip and sharing lipstick, Angelika Abramovitch’s new short film Catcave Hysteria seeks to add a bit more depth to the cinematic portrayal of the women’s toilet. Bringing together several small-scale stories into the various cubicles, the film explores several different forms of female all-relationship – lovers, friends, family – combining a youthful aesthetic and a busy nightclub setting with perhaps unexpectedly dramatic and, ultimately, emotional results. Abramovitch’s film screens this week at Karlovy Vary as part of Future Frames: Generation NEXT of European Cinema, which annually screens a selection of impressive short work from young filmmakers across the continent.
Catcave Hysteria contains a trio of characterful vignettes, all happening concurrently in different stalls of the same bathroom. In one stall are Amanda (Camila Bejarano Wahlgren) and Paulin (Doreen Ndagire) whose make-out session is derailed by a recent sexual encounter of Amanda’s, raising questions about their relationship prospects. In a second are sisters, Hanna (Asta Kamma August) and Dariya (Dilan Apak), one of whom wants some privacy to go to the toilet while the other is in there to spice up their evening with drugs. Finally, Jossan (Klara Hodell Risberg) is sitting minding her own business when she hears two friends gossiping next door – initially, the eavesdropping is fun, until she becomes the subject of their conversation.
In the film’s synopsis, there’s a sense that it wants to disabuse the audience of the notion that the female bathroom is a space for friendly banter, and while the sharing of lipstick does happen, it’s in the precisely calibrated nature of its miniature dramas that the film really excels. The performances are all good, the actors are given little room to hide in the confines of the toilet cubicle, but Agnes Jeppsson’s screenplay really sings in the way it tackles a variety of issues – from the secrets kept by sisters to spare each other’s feelings, to the false smiles that hide malicious intent, or the imbalance of where two people are in a relationship. Given its brief running time of just 20 minutes, it’s impressive the level of emotional depth both script and film manage to mine and convey.
Director: Angelika Abramovitch
Screenplay: Agnes Jeppsson
Producer: Hawa Sanneh
Cast: Asta Kamma August, Camila Bejarano Wahlgren, Dilan Apak, Doreen Ndagire, Vivi Laakko, Klara Hodell Risberg, Tina Po
Cinematography: Malin Lq
Editing: Tove Lindblom
Sound: Tove Lidman
Music: Javad Safari
Production companies: Stockholm University of the Arts (Sweden), Swedish Television (Sweden)
Venue: Karlovy Vary (Future Frames: Generation NEXT of European Cinema)
Swedish
20 minutes
