Plumber, The (1979)

Anthropologist Jill Cowper (Judy Morris) is writing her thesis for her Master’s at home in a University campus apartment complex in Adelaide.

One day – while her husband, Dr Brian Cowper (Robert Coleby), is out – a plumber named Max (Ivar Kants) arrives unexpectedly to perform routine checks and maintenance on the bathroom pipes.

Stuck alone at home with the talkative stranger, Jill is nervous. He is friendly and reassuring, but his self-assurance also seems menacing. His unannounced visit begins to unnerve Jill, especially when Max jokes about having been in prison.

She later discusses her fears with her husband, her friend Meg (Candy Raymond), and the caretaker’s wife (Daphne Grey), but they all believe Max is a simple but nice man. Jill does not agree.

A problem in the bathroom brings Max back again, this time for even longer, becoming a menacing presence as the air of extreme unease and tension between them increases.

He is supposed to be repairing the bathroom but is really only making it worse. And he sings in the shower.

Directed by ace Aussie filmmaker Peter Weir, the movie premiered at the Sydney Film Festival on 19 June 1979 and was screened on Australian television the following night. The film was then distributed to arthouse and independent cinemas in the US, helping its producers turn a small profit.

Jill Cowper
Judy Morris
Max
Ivar Kants
Dr Brian Cowper
Robert Coleby
Meg
Candy Raymond
David Medavoy
Henri Szeps
Dr Matu
Yomi Abiodun
Dr Japari
Beverley Roberts
Dr Don Felder
Bruce Rosen
Caretaker’s Wife
Daphne Grey
Anna
Meme Thorne
Professor Cato
David Burchell
Reg the Cleaner
Paul Sonkkila
Ananas
Pam Sanders
Detective
Rick Hart
Italian Singer
Giovanni Giglio

Director
Peter Weir

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