Started in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic by Georgian animator Alexey Gerasimov, it is clear that Skibidi Toilet has undoubtedly held a position of deep social and indeed political influence. In regards to genre, it could be described as a post-apocalyptic absurdist psychological Black horror-comedy but draws heavily from sci-fi anti-satire and invades in on the territory of the neo-noir movement. It is a fantastical and dystopian surrealist piece- almost melodramatic in its portrayal of its strong narrative- and is told from a first-person POV, supposedly through the eyes- or might I say camera- of a protagonistic Cameraman figure.
The show's visual aesthetic could be characterised by low lighting and a dark Noir-film-inspired, largely monochrome colour palette, albeit with eerie red and blue toilet and camera mechanised headlights. Devoid of humans since not long after Episode 1, the feeling of abandonment and loneliness eludes from the walls of towering city skyscrapers. The presence of atavistic yet hooliganistic anthropomorphic toilets embraces the surreal, eristic and Kafkaesque aesthetic of the series in general, reflecting elements of the weirdcore through liminal-space-inspired empty locations and 3D set pieces, whilst satirising the nihilistic absurdity of an apocalypse on a startlingly sophistic yet perhaps appropriate manner; the trivialisation of a cataclysm of this scale invites attention from the less-insightful, bringing into consideration, therefore, such a philosophically-potent question as to the end of the world.
However, despite the obvious duplicitous appearance of the show as depicting a futile struggle between good and evil, marking the end of humanity, it could also be viewed as a temporary struggle in the sense of a single war. Although the toilets in the series seem initially evil, we don't technically know which side are the 'goodies' as such, and which the antagonists- if their are either, This ambiguity brings into gentle consideration the muted and multiplicitous worldviews of individuals and that in many global disputes (though certainly not all), there are in fact no 'goodies' and 'baddies' but rather two groups with collectively differing opinions, neither of which are often necessarily 'good' or 'bad'. The struggle between toilet and television, therefore, could be simply thus: a battle between two disputing groups, if not an apocalyptic wartime epic concerning that between the dualistic forces of pure good and evil.
It could also serve as a apologue to the indeed metaphorical medical and psychological war waged against the coronavirus pandemic, which was at its most prevalent around the launch of the Skibidi Toilet pandemic. It is a popular fan theory that skibidi toilets are in fact a product of some pathogenic entity which infects toilets, perhaps canonically produced by the likes of human excrements, or of various ingredients, thereby transforming the vessels into anthropomorphic beings of debatable personhood status. In its social context, Skibidi Toilet may serve as an allegory to the fierce struggle against the surging horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If a product of human waste, however, Skibidi Toilets may function as an epitome of the fierce consequences of global warming- a vicious and dystopian omnipotent force unleashed upon humanity as a result of their selfish and industrially-centred mindsets.
Alternatively, it could be both: the toilets could serve as a depiction of everything wrong with humanity, and the humans, despite having disappeared around episode 5, may be represented by the cameramen. Alternatively, the Skibidi Toilets themselves could in fact represent the hideous state of humanity under the traditional sci-fi trope of 'man-vs-machine', embracing misanthropy to the reductive state of the animalistic dehumanisation of all peoples; it could serve as an allegory for humanity's fierce opposition and conflict against artificial intelligence, or rather could also represent the fierce protection of humans by machines from ulterior threats, and perhaps alternatively imply a strong bond between man and robot. The robots were likely either constructed from humas, or by humans, suggesting a loyalty to humanity, their creators. Yet, they may have additionally been birthed from yet another mysterious viral contagion, thereby emphasizing the overarching belief that neither work for anyone, and without a clear motive, and perhaps that it is simply within their nature to engage in conflicts with one another, perhaps representing 0the violent and sinful nature of humanity.
On the other hand, assuming the cameraman are a product of humanities handiwork, one must point out that this does not instinctively imply loyalty to the creator, as reflected in many organised religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, the latter of which has traditionally demanded sacrifices as a method of appeasement for disloyalty to the Creator, and in the former of which The Creator's son was offered by the Creator himself in order to save humanity from itself. Therefore, religious symbolism can be inferred from the narrative of Skibidi Toilet, and perhaps rather the franchise serves to demonstrate the disloyalty of a peoples to their peace-loving Creators, and the violence and brutality established as a result.
If the Skibidi Toilets represent global warming, or even a virus itself however, then the robots may in fact not represent mankind, but rathe the technology embraced by mankind in order to combat global and cataclysmic disasters. Although it may feel melodramatic, in terms of Gerasimov's presentation of a worldwide apocalypse, Skibidi Toilet may in fact be an attempt to reflect the current state of humanity somewhat faithfully, suggesting the world is much more absurd than we perceive it to be, and perhaps more pessimistically, albeit more realistically, that we are much closer to the end of the world than we think. Yet maybe this is really the more optimistic interpretation.
It's certainly true that the way in which Gerasimov deals with existentialism, the scourge of humanity, and political turmoil throughout Soviet Russia and indeed the US can be rivalled by few other filmmakers throughout history. But most of all, it is that light-heartedness and visual satire that may come as most appealing. Though Gerasimov has produced a number of other works throughout his career, none can truly match the level of poeticism, narrative depth, intellect and sociopolitical symbolism that Skibidi Toilet manages to rather successfully encapsulate.
Comments
Post a Comment