By Omeleto
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An aspiring journalist hears rumors of a strange cult on his college campus. He launches into his own investigation and comes across a “club” where kids climb into tumble dryers at a 24-hour laundromat and see how long they can last — a phenomenon that eventually goes viral and becomes potentially perilous.
Director Simon Dymond’s thrilling short is a playful riff on David Fincher’s “Fight Club,” which lends the story a tense and compelling pace. With sharp camerawork, a propulsive score and clever performances, the film is continually engaging and suspenseful.
The short is also based on scriptwriter Russ Sutherland’s true story, who discovered the illicit underground wash club in his days at university — and in his efforts to expose it, became its unwitting leaders. Dymond reached out to Sutherland after hearing his story on a podcast and realizing the spoken-word piece would translate well to the screen.
In a world where “ice bucket challenges” and “planking” quickly spread over social media, “Wash Club” explores what happens when a story spins out of control the farther and faster they spread. It’s also a pure cinematic pleasure, and a compact yet powerful entertainment that will leave viewers wanting more.
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:39
[Music]
00:43
then work on me was Rhaego Rhaego me
00:47
what was it like torturing him here
00:49
no no it was just a bunch of guys doing
00:50
crazy shit to John what I was like I’ve
00:52
got next then yeah yeah well you know me
00:56
you know me they were like jump in man
00:58
join the club join the club yeah yes you
01:02
know what I’m dryers they’ve got like a
01:03
temperature gauge ring yeah yeah Barry
01:05
sector zero
01:05
I was like listen God do me at the same
01:09
temperature as my clothes I don’t lose
01:10
their origin you get John I join I back
01:24
to yours yeah can do
01:29
[Music]
01:34
so for those of you that bother to read
01:36
your student handbook at the start of
01:38
the year you’ll know that this is going
01:39
to count for 70% of your first year
01:42
grade and trust me two weeks are going
01:44
to be up like that’s it’s research
01:47
interviews and remember the assignment
01:50
isn’t just to write the article you have
01:52
to pitch it to a publication as well
01:56
this isn’t literature it’s journalism
01:59
you have to sell so make it seductive
02:03
give it mystery if you don’t have a
02:07
mystery find one fast see you next week
02:22
[Music]
02:33
[Music]
02:58
secrets of the 24-hour launderette draft
03:03
one
03:11
[Music]
03:21
why would people get inside a machine
03:25
and spin around the thrills excitement
03:30
boredom
03:32
what would you do
03:39
you’ve heard of Chess Club you’ve heard
03:42
of running club but have you heard of
03:47
spinning club
03:50
you’ve heard it task one we’ve heard a
03:53
rowing boat but have you heard
03:57
washing machine club
03:59
[Music]
04:06
you’ve heard of Chess Club you’ve heard
04:09
Tennis Club
04:13
have you heard of washtubs
04:16
[Music]
04:32
[Music]
05:09
that’s not the situation the ethical
05:12
situation is do you publish a photograph
05:14
captures this
05:19
[Music]
05:37
[Music]
05:42
no extensions
05:48
[Music]
06:01
[Music]
06:37
ah
07:17
hello hello I don’t know if I’m allowed
07:23
to call it’s all safe isn’t it this is
07:27
my first time people have done it before
07:29
so don’t worry why do you do this what
07:36
did you sign up I don’t know I’m just
07:39
it’s not what I thought you would be
07:41
like can I ask you another question
07:45
how does it feel inside the thing the
07:48
dryer it’s hard to explain say it just
07:57
like you feel as if you’re sitting still
08:00
and then the outside world is just
08:02
turning around you instead I like that
08:07
vlogs I’m not gonna get my brains bashed
08:08
out that’s all that matters
08:10
no no it’s is safe trust me
08:17
[Music]
08:32
[Music]
08:41
[Music]
08:54
[Music]
08:58
I was like man you got do me at the same
09:01
temperature as my clothes I don’t lose
09:03
their Oh Reggie you get me
09:15
yeah please yes we need to send a call
09:18
right now to the laundrette on Cole Road
09:21
there’s like 30 to 40 50 people at a
09:24
party then there’s this
09:28
[Music]
09:41
[Applause]
09:46
are you hit this guy you him no the
09:53
message said to be here at 12:00
09:55
he’s I’m here yeah shit none of us ever
10:00
do it before so maybe we should leave it
10:03
then don’t be a pussy mate well no it’s
10:05
just it none of us know the risks
10:07
involved you know oh don’t worry I spoke
10:09
to him earlier he said it’s safe trust
10:12
me he’s not answering
10:14
look mate you just sit down yeah
10:24
and this guy’s got the right idea
10:26
yeah do you know if these runner who
10:28
knows come on we were waiting for let’s
10:30
just do it
10:30
yes fucking I’m gonna what happened to
10:31
the party environment hey there ma been
10:34
drinking all day long train ready let’s
10:38
do the name come on a boat good feeling
10:40
about this
10:42
[Music]
11:02
[Music]
11:34
so that girl who got in the machine held
11:40
that have died isn’t what he said oh no
11:42
that is why said she did time yeah this
11:47
guy said it up as a hoax or something it
11:50
was it was all bullshit fucking prick
12:02
maybe it’s tomorrow someone should go in
12:05
and set up a a poster or something sort
12:11
of from Abaddon again that work no what
12:16
do you study here journalism but I’m
12:21
thinking of changing shit I put some
12:26
stuff about washcloth on my chat room
12:27
and you should delete it okay so yeah
12:30
actually and I was talking to other
12:32
people back home about it all my mates
12:34
and we said that we wanted to set up a
12:36
watch Club – I’ll be sick
12:37
wait how many people did you tell that
12:41
wash Club watch look it’s like I don’t
12:46
where you get into that tumble dryers
12:47
and I know it’s your endurance it’s
12:49
really cool it actually happens on
12:51
campus here this is guy vandalism there
13:02
swept across the UK forcing at least 35
13:06
launderettes to close with reports still
13:08
coming in police are mounting an
13:11
investigation to find the ringleaders
13:13
behind this dangerous game
13:17
[Music]
13:19
weather report now there’s a watch club
13:22
moving in across the west coast ed
13:24
around watch club this evening
13:26
temperatures dropping from wash cut down
13:28
to wash club later tonight talking about
13:32
his watch Club watch Club
13:40
[Music]
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This post was previously published on YouTube.
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video