The Plumber – Review

A simple, yet effective, premise is reflected in the Australian TV movie The Plumber. The Cowpers, a married couple, reside in apartment 15C. Jill (Morris) is working on her anthropology master’s degree as a student, while her husband Dr. Brian Cowper (Coleby) spends his days teaching.

One fine morning, Jill is studying per usual and hears a knock on the door. This is Max (Kants), the local university admin “plumber” who has been instructed to do some routine pipe inspections. She eventually lets him in, and he goes immediately into the bathroom to start clanking around. He knows his way around the block, or so he says.

As things get noisier and noisier, Max lets Jill know that his destruction is the only way to get at the pipes. Then he seems to take a shower? At the end of his “investigation,” Max tells Jill that the pipes are “buggered,” and just too small for the water pressure. There is 5,000 gallons of water pressure in the ceiling, and replacement of the pipes will be needed. It will take 4-5 hours and he’ll have to do it the following day. This begins a non-stop invasion of the apartment by this plumber, and a continual need to work on the pipes.

As Jill’s sanity unravels, it matches the bathroom and its destruction. Brian doesn’t think anything of the plumber’s behavior or antics, especially since he is always at work. Jill does all that she can to abide this strange man, but she fears that he is not being honest, and that the bathroom is becoming dangerous. As Max keeps letting himself in, or finding ways to “help,” Jill struggles more and more.

The Plumber is a nice and short thriller that digs into the viewer’s anxiety while presenting a basic yet unnerving story. The quality director Weir did a great job with this made-for-TV film. The psychological drama presents plenty of “what would you do” moments for the watcher to contemplate, and despite its late 70s setting, the same premise could work just fine today. The ending is solid, and gives plenty to contemplate. With sound acting and a short runtime, this tense thriller is pretty good.