Bowels of Hell

Birth and death trauma, constipation and gassy poos, toilet curses and gender issues: these are just some of the elements that converge in Bowels of Hell, a Brazilian comedy with more than a touch of gore, exploring in excruciating detail the mysteries of the human organism.

Written and directed by Gurcius Gewdner and Gustavo Vinagre, Bowels of Hell practices an insolent mixture of horror and comedy that will delight scatology lovers. The plot revolves around Malu, who is organising a gender-reveal party for a pregnant influencer – while dealing with her own grief, her persistent constipation problems and her adolescent transgender child (who disapproves of her job commission). At the condominium where Malu lives, some strange phenomena are unleashed in the home’s most private zone: the bathroom.

Flushing away any remnant of subtlety or correctness, Gewdner and Vinagre build a very graphic film that makes fun not of but with everything it touches – including spirituality, parenting, disability, ecology, trauma and gender-neutral language. The result is an explosive discharge; a film that is clever and hilarious, but also extremely coherent and inventive at a figural level. Bowels of Hell is not for the faint-hearted, but if you happen to think that, collectively speaking, we are all a bit clogged-up, you’ll probably enjoy it. Just remember to loosen up before getting to the theatre.

– Cristina Álvarez López

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