An indie film’s got to have a gimmick, and American Standard’s is this: All scenes of the still-looking-for-a-distributor romantic comedy were shot in New York bathrooms. (The production company: In the Can Production.) Although it would have been simpler to build sets, director Josh Abraham says, “New Yorkers are going to watch this and recognize that sometimes the sink is over your knees when you’re on the toilet.” But authenticity did pose some challenges.
The Brooklyn Walk-up Loo
“Most people cleaned before allowing us in. But sometimes their bathrooms looked too clean. Our production designer had jars of shmutz that we rubbed onto tiles. We spent a good amount of time dirtying this place up, making it appear as if two bachelors lived there.”
The Broker’s Privy
“For our cokehead stockbroker’s apartment, we wanted something swanky. This Dumbo penthouse was perfect, but the far wall was empty. Luckily, there were a half-dozen art galleries within a three-block radius. There was no way I was returning to the set without borrowing a gigantic photo of a woman’s ass.”
The Office Restroom
“We found several of our bathrooms in the Municipal Building. We shot on weekends, when it was empty. But one Saturday we discovered that some civil servant had had a mental breakdown, and a wall was covered in fecal matter. One of our producers scrubbed while our production assistants were out getting bagels.”