Event

Motivational Growth

Local Sightings Film Festival 2013

Sep 28

Don Thacker Seattle, WA 105 min

Saturday, Sep 28 at 11:00PM

"The Mold knows."

Shut-in Ian B. Folivor, living in a fungus and garbage-infested apartment, is a man who has abandoned all personal hygiene. His only comfort in life is shattered when his antique TV breaks. His world is spiraling into the toilet bowl until a silver-tongued blob of mold enters the scene. The bathroom mold begins giving Ian motivational advice to clean himself up, speak to his attractive neighbor, and regain his confidence. But The Mold's intentions are revealed to be far more nefarious then they first appear.

The comedic potential of a talking fungus is fully realized in Motivational Growth. The Mold is expertly voiced by Jeffrey Combs and brought to life as a beautifully repulsive puppet (created by Steve Tolin). The film's production is a mosaic of excellent art direction, puppetry, animation and cinematography, in a challenging single location shoot. Ian's inner psychosis is illustrated with brief scenes from schlock television programs that humorously mirror Ian's state of mind, while animated sequences in an 8-bit video game style replace the live action at choice moments.

Motivational Growth is icky. Wonderfully . . .enigmatically. . .appealingly icky. We are treated to repeated scenes of Ian covered in blood, Ian with disgusting things entering or exiting his mouth, Ian in his tighty whities. We are even witness to Ian waxing poetic while expunging a bowel movement. For fans of psychotronic or just generally weird films, watching Motivational Growth is as joyous as a pig wallowing in mud.