This is how the test will go:

October 11, 2018 12:24 AM

New Improved Institutional Quality: In the Environment of Liquids and Nasals a Parasitic Vowel Sometimes Develops (1976)
posted by edeezy (11 comments total)

1976 called. It wants its drugs back, but nobody is answering the phone.
posted by flabdablet at 12:49 AM on October 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Here’s the IMDB page. The two reviews shed some light on its background.
posted by archy at 1:54 AM on October 11, 2018

This is so, so strange!

The only part I get is the title, 'In the Environment of Liquids and Nasals a Parasitic Vowel Sometimes Develops'. This refers to a linguistic phenomenon where speakers will sometimes pronounce words like 'film' as 'filum'. That is, they insert a vowel when there's a liquid (l, r) followed by a nasal (m, n).

The audio is the most horrible (usability? psychology?) test I can imagine. It was so painful, I couldn't finish it.

The visuals are some sort of weird interplay between the instructions and meaning, but again, I don't get it.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:00 AM on October 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

After watching that I feel like getting back in bed forever.
posted by james33 at 3:07 AM on October 11, 2018

If the bed is not made up, put a number 16 on the bed.
posted by flabdablet at 3:33 AM on October 11, 2018 [5 favorites]

I lost it when the lady dropped something.

I felt myself strongly in need of the scene playing out sequentially at the end with all the placed numbers.

I have no idea.

12
posted by filtergik at 6:19 AM on October 11, 2018

I have no idea.

You will probably not be able to answer all the questions. Do not worry. Just do the best you can.
posted by flabdablet at 6:24 AM on October 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

That was great. Thanks for the post.
posted by gusottertrout at 7:38 AM on October 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Bless the director for having the foresight to select such googlable film titles, but so far I've only found two and a half others viewable online:

Remedial Reading Comprehension
Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc.
On the Marriage Broker Joke as Cited by Sigmund Freud in Wit and its Relation to the Unconscious or Can the Avant-Garde Artist Be Wholed? [remake, apparently]
posted by ook at 8:49 AM on October 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Heh. I'd suggest if this short didn't work for people, then Remedial Reading Comprehension likely won't be any better as it's even more abstracted and I guarantee Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc. won't win anyone over since it is [Spoiler Alert] six minutes of the same image, a "Sprocket Girl", projected showing only the film's increasing deterioration over time.

One of his other shorts, Thank You Jesus for the Eternal Present, is also online but isn't likely to win over any that didn't find the FPP link to their liking.
posted by gusottertrout at 9:08 AM on October 11, 2018

That’s....not....Numberwang?
posted by wenestvedt at 5:01 PM on October 11, 2018