Intrigue

A young couple, living in a campus apartment complex, are repeatedly harassed by an eccentric plumber, who subjects them to a series of bizarre mind games while making unnecessary repairs to their bathroom.

In Adelaide, the wife of Dr. Brian Cowper, Jill Cowper, is writing her thesis at home for her Master's in Anthropology. When the plumber, Max, arrives unexpectedly to do a routine check and maintenance of the the bathroom pipes, Jill is stuck alone at home with the strange, talkative stranger. That day, he mentions spending some time in prison, frightening Jill. She talks about this to her friend Meg, her husband Brian and the superintendent's wife, but they all believe the plumber to be a simple, but nice man. Jill does not agree. There is a problem in the bathroom that brings Max back again, this time even longer. Over time, the tension between them increases. Finally, Jill finds a way to get rid of the plumber.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Medical anthropology professor Dr. Brian Cowper and his wife, anthropology grad student Jill Cowper, have just moved to Adelaide from Melbourne. Although they are currently living in a campus housing complex, they made this move to progress to a more adult and stable situation - including possibly moving into a house and starting a family - and for Jill to get away from doing academic work for others and focus on her own research. Brian learns that his mentors from the World Health Organization (WHO) are coming to Adelaide to review his work, which could lead to a job in Geneva for a few years. This news, which Jill isn't sure she is happy about, coincides with the university sending the campus plumber, Max, without the Cowpers' knowledge, to inspect the plumbing in their bathroom. Max, the plumber, quickly diagnoses that their pipes are in disrepair and he needs to do several hours work to get them fixed. Jill notices some odd behavior in Max, and every time she is about to question him and call him out about this behavior and actually getting the work done, he does something to change her mind. And this several hour job turns into a several day job, each day the bathroom looking more like a bomb was dropped on it. Jill begins to question whether Max is who he says he is, as he continues with what she considers his psychological torture on her, which she has to endure on her own as Brian, who is never around when Max is around, is focused on the WHO visit. Jill has to figure out how to get herself out of this hell she is facing before Max gets the better of her.—Huggo