Being Film #29 for Hooptober 2025
We’ve finally gotten to the “Hooper” of Hooptober – and Eggshells is a doozy of a debut for the director, a dark and experimental abstraction of the concept of community and utopia in a world intent on pushing back on anything that doesn’t fall in line with the regimented, totalitarian views of those in power (who are determined to stay in power). Is it the easiest film to watch? Hell, no…Hooper is like a kid in a candy shop, trying all sorts of techniques to convey his preoccupations – many of which permeate even his silliest films – and in the process creates something that lights the way to his most important works.
THE QUICK SUMMARY: A group of hippies try to create their own utopia, sharing a communal house in Austin, Texas. They want nothing more than to live out the ideals of the late 1960s—free love, artistic expression, and political rebellion. But something in the basement won’t let them. Is it an alien? Something supernatural? Or is it the embodiment of the establishment intent on keeping them down? Things get truly weird, and as our lovable hippies experience breakdowns in communication and reality, everyone seems to be walking on…EGGSHELLS!
(not really, but I couldn’t resist)
I won’t pretend I understand half of what Hooper is trying to do in Eggshells, and that’s with the note that I watched this with the audio commentary from Hooper himself on YouTube. But I admire the hell out of how uncompromising the film is, and how excited Hooper is to try out new things. Some of the most effective things are deceptively simple: when one of the hippies heads to the basement kicking a can, it sprinkles silver glitter everywhere, creating a magical effect that ends with the discovery of an ancient sword leaning next to a toilet.
Even writing that sentence only hints at the weirdness Eggshells has going for it. Purposefully abstract and experimental, he plays with sounds and images in a way that emphasize the tone and mood he wants instead of the actual mechanics of the plot.
Bubbles, bubbles on cars, swords and lights…at some point I need to watch this with the actual audio – maybe I’ll get a little closer to understanding what’s going on in Eggshells.
Then again, maybe not.
Cinema Dual 
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