2019 Hot Docs presents Mr.Toilet : The World’s #2 Man

Mr.Toilet: The World’s #2 Man (2019), directed by Lily Zepeda, is a character-driven documentary about an eccentric and flamboyant hero, Jack Sim, a former Singaporean entrepreneur, whose mission in life is to bring proper sanitation to 40% of the world’s population who don’t have access to a toilet.

Zepeda has woven together many visual elements to create an insightful documentary that demystifies “shit” which normalizes the conversation about a taboo subject and documents the herculean efforts of one man to bring proper sanitation to the world’s needy, and to the world’s attention.  Zepeda makes use of animated sequences about his life, experiences, and travels, archival footage, first-person interviews, third-person interviews, and still photography to create an amusing and compelling documentary.  Close-ups and medium angles shots are interspersed with wide-angle shots, and the documentary incorporates both day and night and interior and exterior footage shot over an extended period of time at multiple locations across the globe.

The motif of social activist, idealistic dreamer, family man, and comic run through the film, as they butt heads, compete and complement each other, in the pursuit of his passion to bring sanitation to the world’s needy which is easier said than done.  His humanitarian efforts to bring proper sanitation to millions of people in the Indian province of Andhra Pradesh come to a fruitless end because of societal taboos and customs, and bureaucratic red tape.  As we learn from his children, the parenting role is taken up by his loving wife, and his children have become accustomed to his absences and his forgetting and missing important occasions like birthdays.  But, nevertheless, they love and respect him.    He is such a dreamer that his staff at The World Toilet Organization (WTO) have to rein him in and keep him on track and project-focused.

I applaud the director and her team in making such a poignant and powerful documentary on the life of Jack Sim and his meaningful, humanitarian and compassionate work to bring sanitation to 40% percent of the world’s population who don’t have access to a toilet, and for shining a light on the seriousness of open defecation to public health, to women’s safety, and to the environment.  Zepeda succeeds in creating an intimate portrait of a quirky, and eccentric individual full of compassion, love, and wit who uses his ingenuity and skills to create a meaningful dialogue on shit and to bring proper sanitation to the world’s needy.  It’s an excellent documentary deserving of your attention.

Mr.Toilet: The World’s #2 Man will be playing at Fox Theatre:
Fox Theatre on May 4 @ 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for Mr. Toilet Mr.Toilet: The World’s #2 Man can be purchased here!

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