Based on a true story, Simon Dymond’s Wash Club follows an aspiring journalism student as he discovers and unwittingly explodes onto the scene a misfit club where kids climb into tumble dryers at a 24-hour laundrette to see how long they can last inside. A moody and stylish thriller that playfully impersonates David Fincher’s Fight Club, Dymond’s 14-minute short is a surprisingly tense and utterly compelling watch.

“You’ve heard of chess club, you’ve heard of tennis club, but have you heard of Wash Club?”

Reminiscent to many teen challenges that have blown up online, Dymond gives us a firsthand account from the student; none other than the film’s writer Ross Sutherland; who spread Wash Club around his campus and became the ringleader of a secret society overnight in his quest to write a thrilling story. Will he face expulsion or could his investigation lead to the death of a student? You’ll have to watch this stylish depiction of college culture in an age where being reckless is rewarded to find out.

Wash Club is ultimately about losing control of a lie and how stories can get out of hand as it starts to spread. The film’s protagonist, played by UK up-and-comer Tom Blyth, must somehow balance hiding his involvement in the tumble-drier cult on his campus while also facilitating its existence.

Dymond first heard about Wash Club on Sutherland’s podcast Imaginary Advice and was immediately fascinated by his bizarre true story. He recalls how he retold the story to his friends and colleagues who, not before long, started retelling it to others. Suddenly, Sutherland’s experience became his own and it was easy to understand how something so small could get out of hand so quickly.

Aside from a lead that’s not unlike the infamous character Tyler Durdan from Fight Club, Wash Club’s edgy cinematography, rhythmic score, and stylish montages escalate the plot from intriguing to risky in a blip of a few short minutes. Dymond captures the very essence of the birth of a social phenomenon and you may just want to join a club after watching (but please don’t climb into any washing machines!).

Wash Club screened at the 29th Galway Film Fleadh, LSFF, and Aesthetica Short Film Festival. Dymond and Sutherland are currently developing two feature scripts as well as their next short film and we can’t wait!