Ken's Bathroom Discovery

Bruce Von Stiers

The conclusion of a one-night stand can be very awkward. I've been in that situation before. But I have never had quite the experience a man and woman have at the end of their one-night stand in the film Backward Faces.

Sydney and Ken apparently got together and had sex at his apartment. But the morning after seems a bit strained. Sydney is a little off-putting while Ken seems to want to talk about how things went. Well, how well he was in bed. That doesn't go very well.

Then they get into a conversation that has to do with quantum mechanics and theorical physics, which Sydney seems to know a lot about. Ken tells her that his bathroom is a juncture between different universes. You know, like a worm hole. Yeah, it is weird but kind of funny. In fact, this film is a sci-fi comedy.

Lennon Sickels plays Sydney. Her previous films include A Thousand Miles and What A Trip!. She is also starring in the upcoming thriller films Needles and Bark. And she is also starring in Brooklyn Love Doll Massacre, which is currently filming.

Andrew Morra plays Ken. He has been featured in an episode of American Horror Story and in one of the segments of the film Burritos and Coke. Morra was also a producer for this film.

The thing about the bathroom is that when Ken goes in and out of it, he's in an alternate universe where he's a completely different version of himself. This whole thing that Ken is saying plays out to be just an excuse to get rid of Sydney. At least that's the feeling I was getting while watching this. Or that possibly Ken was a bit crazy, in which case, Sydney should get out of there as fast as possible.

The film has just two characters, Sydney, and Ken. It was shot in black and white, giving it an almost Twilight Zone effect. And the film was shot in one location, an apartment.

Chris Aresco was the director of the film. He also wrote the screenplay and did the editing for the film. Jake Gorr was the cinematographer. He has worked as both a gaffer and camera operator on several other films. Nathaniel Meeks composed the music used in the film. And Richard Stumph was the production designer. Carolina Ravassa and Sebastian Twardosz were the executive producers. And the film was produced by Random Media and Boredumb Pictures.

The film takes an interesting turn when Ken initiates an experiment to prove to Sydney that his story of the bathroom universe intersections is real. But Sydney remains skeptical until something very bizarre happens. Another Ken appears. Later there is an interaction between the three of them that is reminiscent of the Who's On First comedy routine.

Throughout the film, there is an underlying theme. That is, we need to try to find and be the best version of ourselves. You might miss this unless you listen closely to what's being said.

I had a couple of pages of notes about the film that I was using to write this review. But I kept giving away too much of the plot as I wrote from the notes. So I am trying to refrain from revealing too much of the film's content.

Let me just say that Backward Faces is one of the best comedies that I've seen in the last few years that presents a message. The acting is excellent and the camera work is great.

Backward Faces is available on iTunes and Amazon at this time.

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© 2023 Bruce E Von Stiers