Assholes is screening at the Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival at 11 pm this Friday, September 29, 2017.

Billed as one of the grossest in film history, Peter Vack’s first feature length film delivers dialogue and visuals certain to make almost everyone feel uncomfortable at one point or another. With an apparent Wes Anderson-inspired aesthetic, Vack creates a whimsical fantasy world around which he tells a story about, well, assholes. And not the metaphorical kind that cut you off in traffic, but the literal kind from which you poop.

not for viewers with a strong aversion to “butt stuff”

Uncomfortable? Sadly, then, Assholes may not be for you. In general, this film is not for viewers with a strong aversion to “butt stuff,” but it’s not as if the filmmakers failed to warn you. Make no mistake, Assholes delivers vile, sickening imagery, but only for a small portion even relative to the brief, 74 minute run time. The trailer actually includes a ratio of dialogue to gore oddly proportionate to the ratio in the film itself. That said, when the film decides to gross the audience out, it really goes all out in a “two girls one cup” kind of way.

vile, sickening imagery … in a “two girls one cup” kind of way

As a matter of fact, Assholes goes all out in pretty much all aspects. From the characters, to the performances and dialogue, Vack goes for it, which is commendable in itself. Even more commendable, however, he succeeds. Whether confusion, laughter, or disgust, the audience feels what Vack intends in spades. The film explores consequences of extreme drug use and sex with, quite naturally, in-your-face excessive portrayals of drugs and sex. Even the camerawork and shooting style varies between extremes of steady-cam, direct angles reminiscent of a Wes Anderson movie, to hand-held, guerrilla filmmaking at its finest, with actors Betsey Brown and Jack Dunphy literally terrorizing tourists at Times Square. Somehow, Vack also manages to work in subtle themes of family, religion, and even incest.

guerrilla filmmaking at its finest

Of course, one could easily dismiss Assholes as nothing more than a gross-out comedy taken to extremes. But behind the repugnant images and vulgar dialogue lies an intelligent, compelling story (at least for most of the film). Nor is this a true stoner comedy, given that straight audiences under the age of 40 are unlikely to recognize the main drug used. The story follows Adah Shapiro (Brown) and Aaron Mark (Dunphy) as they bond over a spectacularly hilarious relapse from sobriety. Vack plays Adam Shapiro, Adah’s brother and Aaron’s best friend. Adam’s story arc mirrors that of Adah and Aaron, as he seemingly gets his life in order while our lead couple spirals out of control. Despite getting somewhat confusing and muddled in the third act, the story remains well foreshadowed from the opening dialogue through completion, and ultimately leads to a satisfying conclusion.

Ironically, the strong storytelling aspects of the film actually contribute to one of its potential downfalls. Marketing a film as one of the grossest of all time attracts a certain audience. Despite delivering on its promise in a big way, Assholes only does so after spending an appropriate amount of time developing its characters and telling its story. Normally considered essential, these story elements may act obstruct viewers primarily looking for that gross-out fix. Those interested purely in disgusting, campy fun are better served with a film like Night of Something Strange. This one limitation alone prevents the “Scat Factor” from hitting a “10.”

Overall, the script contains dialogue filthy enough to match the visuals while advancing the plot rapidly. The hilarity builds until reaching maximum “gross” factor around the halfway point. From this point forward, visuals become more weird than gross as the main characters undergo a Kafkaesque transformation driving the final resolution. The end result is a film recommended for anyone not entirely scared off by the concept.

Assholes is screening at the Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival at 11 pm this Friday, September 29, 2017Tickets are available for purchase through FilmFreeway.