Blue Finch Films
After a routine prostate exam, Chip (Tyler Cornack, whom also serves as director and co-scribe) becomes obsessed with inserting things into his behind. It all begins with a bar of soap, but soon Chip’s going down a slippery slope and sticks all manner of things in there. This culminates, only ten minutes in, with the family pet and a local child meeting a disturbing fate. The story then jumps forwards in time where we find Chip hiding out in an alcoholics anonymous group. Here he gets partnered with new attendee, Russell Fox (Tyler Rice), a detective whom unwittingly triggers Chip’s compulsion once more. It’s then down to Fox to investigate the new wave of disappearances. Can he stop Chip before it’s too late?
At first it’s hard to root for Chip as our lead, especially when during the opening moments he’s ‘disappeared’ a dog and a baby. It’s only when you realise that Chip isn’t our hero that things begin to make sense. Instead, Chip is actually our super-villain (for lack of a better word), and Fox is our potential hero. It’s an interesting idea to introduce the ‘baddie’ first, giving the audience an peek into his life and a glimpse at the things that mould him into who he becomes. In a way, the opening twenty or so minutes play out like a sped-up version of Chronicle.
Blue Finch Films
Director Tyler Cornack gives a great performance as the troubled Chip; he’s a quiet and oppressed man, desperate for some sense of autonomy over his life. When this is presented to him via his back passage we see him come alive. His struggle to keep on the straight and narrow is one that will strike a chord with recovering addicts the world over. Tyler Rice also works as our alcoholic Detective, embracing all the washed-up police officer tropes, and yet still giving an original and engaging turn. It is the scenes with both men that really make Butt Boy, as they are wonderfully awkward. We’ve all had to make small talk with someone that we clearly have nothing in common with, and that essence is captured on the screen perfectly by Cornack and Rice. Their exchanges are so cringe-inducing that you’ll find yourself wanting a cushion to hide behind.
Comparisons can easily be made between Butt Boy and Swallow, but although sharing a basic premise – uptight person starts putting dangerous items into their body as a form of control – they are distinctly different films. Swallow was a slow meditation on a woman’s struggle to gain control over her body, set in the world of the super rich elite, and had an ethereal feel to it. Butt Boy embraces the humour of the story, whilst still addressing issues of addiction and control. Stylistically, the film taps into that super naturalistic, almost documentary, feel of films like Primer, before morphing into something a little zanier a la Dave Made a Maze. Our cast of characters are also most definitely not rich.
Blue Finch Films
Given the title Butt Boy, and the premise being a man putting household items up his anus, it’s understandable that some folks have been a little weary of the film. It seems to have captured that same notoriety that The Human Centipede had, but it really isn’t anything to be scared of. The film isn’t gratuitous in what it shows. In fact, as with Swallow, there’s much more reliance on the suggestion of things ‘vanishing’ than actually showing the items meeting their end. This makes for a much comfortable and accessible viewing experience, one that plays out with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour.
Towards the end Butt Boy gets a little muddled, the sprint for the big finish seemingly overtakes some of the plot points. There are a couple of big revelations that feel a tad rushed, but overall Butt Boy is proof that you shouldn’t judge a film by its title. A film that will certainly get people talking, Butt Boy is unashamedly quirky, and is one that you won’t soon forget.
Butt Boy was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Glasgow 2020.
