Man has always dreamed of fisting his own arse. It’s a feat that’s been depicted as mere fantasy in recent sci-fi films like Interstellar and Arrival, but in Damien Chazelle’s Fist Man, an intense drama about the first man to ever stuff his entire hand up his own rectum, the story is grounded in gritty realism.
My sphincter was rendered a rigid pinhole right from the wrought opening sequence, in which Ryan Gosling tries, and fails, to anally insert himself. When he attempts entry, the camera shakes so violently it seems as though his arse might actually explode. I was on the edge of my seat, not just because I have horrendous piles, but because it was genuinely the most gripping fisting scene I have ever witnessed.
Gosling’s journey to go elbow deep into his own arse hole represents far more than just the literal, physical act. It’s a film about mankind breaking the boundaries of what is perceived to be possible. That’s why Chazelle persists to use the metaphor of a rocket ship bursting through Earth’s atmosphere.
When Gosling finally achieved the dream and began to caress his prostate with all five digits, I could practically smell the sense of national pride. I stood for the entire sequence, clutching my heart as if an anthem were playing throughout the auditorium. A solitary tear trickled down my face as the overwhelming thought crossed my mind: ‘hopefully one day all humans will be able to fist themselves’.