Matt and Owen are best friends tasked with making a movie for one of their classes. With a massive love of cinema to their credit, the two boys create a pastiche heavy revenge movie where they track down and kill the gang of bullies at their school who they have designated as 'The Dirties'. What begins as a harmless outlet for their animosity towards these cruel individuals quickly takes a dark turn when Matt begins to plot a plan that involves killing these bullies in reality. Shot in a faux-documentary style, Matt Johnson's The Dirties is a raw and refreshing take on high school bullying and violence that at first displays a comedic disguise before slowly fading into darkness. The film does a remarkable job at balancing the comedy and drama elements that together make a poignant commentary on loneliness and the effects that senseless bullying can create. Matt and Owen could definitely be described as "film nerds" and the film relies on that for a good amount of the humor. These two characters are always regurgitating lines and poorly reenacting scenes from their favorite films which often leads to great comedic moments. These characters are incredibly engaging and that's what makes Matt's slow descent over the edge that much more impactful. Through most of the duration we could never see such a fun-loving teenager turn into another school shooter which I believe is the exact point the filmmakers are trying to make. Being teased and abused countless times from various students, The Dirties captures Matt's ability to separate reality from fiction becoming increasingly blurred. Matt Johnson's The Dirties is a unique, entertaining, and powerful examination on bullying that brings the proverbial hammer down on the viewer in its final sequence. 8/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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