Go into GWILLIAM knowing nothing and you’ll leave with your jaw on the floor. You’ll also leave without any clue about what you just watched.
This brief tale introduces us to a convict on the day of his release, and he has only one goal to achieve when he gets out – he wants to get laid. A fellow inmate points him to a dive bar where he assures him, the pickings are good. After checking out the choices inside, he decides to look in the alley, where he’ll certainly find what he’s prowling for. What awaits him in a garbage can isn’t quite what he expected, but he makes the best of an extremely bizarre situation.
CAREFUL – SPOILERS FOLLOW!
Our inmate protagonist meets Gwillian – what I can only describe as some sort of ghoulie, except instead of crawling out of a toilet and eating an unsuspecting bystander, it crawls out of a garbage can and performs fellatio. The scene that follows is easily one of the strangest I’ve seen all year. Disgusting, yet hilarious.
GWILLIAM‘s runtime is as diminutive as its titular character, lasting a short five minutes. With that said, it’s a memorable five minutes, but doesn’t get any time to stretch the (admittedly limited) concept’s legs. I could see this working as a feature very much in the vein of Frank Hennenlotter’s BRAIN DAMAGE or BASKET CASE. I definitely felt a similar vibe. If handled correctly, GWILLIAM could become the next Belial.
I can’t help but feel GWILLIAM was based on an in joke between the filmmakers, because without explanation, it definitely makes you feel like you’re missing the punchline. Still, it made me laugh, it made me wince, and I appreciate it for being totally off the wall. Now, just extend it to a feature and let us in on the rest of the joke.
- [Nightmarish Detour Review] BULLET TRAIN - August 9, 2022
- [Movie Review] MOONFALL - February 3, 2022
- [Movie Review] ROAD HEAD - June 1, 2021