If I were to sum it up in a single sentence, watching THE DIRTIES made me feel dirty.
THE DIRTIES is about two teenagers, Matt and Owen, who are making a comedy film about getting revenge on their school bullies which Matt labels "The Dirties". However, as Matt continuously raves about his plans for the shooting - both referring to the film and to the school shooting he's been excitedly telling Owen about, it soon becomes clear that everything is becoming all too real.
From writing, directing, and acting in his own movie, Matt Johnson shines as the troubled teenager Matt, His angst against the bullies in his school and the psychotic measures he comes up with while remaining arguably sane translates perfectly to film, and the effect is simply jarring. Add to that his best friend Owen, played by Owen Williams, who slowly descends from being very supportive of his friends ideas to totally taking a 180-degree turn when he realizes the gravity of the situation, and the result is a disturbing masterpiece into the mind of a disturbed individual who gets pushed too far and goes even further.
The camera-work for the movie is astounding. Not a moment in the film felt fake, even though at times I was questioning myself and asking "this is supposed to be a found-footage movie, so who is documenting everything?" The answer to that would come much later in the film. When the realization of the camera's purpose in the movie hits you, it hits you hard. The strength of the effect only adds to what could only be described as a dreadful finale to this tragic story. There's simply no looking away as Matt finally pulls out the guns and lets all hell break loose.
THE DIRTIES starts out like an innocent comedy romp and ends up being a modern classic, a thoughtful exploration of the troubled human psyche that also serves as a scathing commentary on the issues of bullying and school violence, and the things that regular people would normally consider as harmless entertainment.
THE DIRTIES is about two teenagers, Matt and Owen, who are making a comedy film about getting revenge on their school bullies which Matt labels "The Dirties". However, as Matt continuously raves about his plans for the shooting - both referring to the film and to the school shooting he's been excitedly telling Owen about, it soon becomes clear that everything is becoming all too real.
From writing, directing, and acting in his own movie, Matt Johnson shines as the troubled teenager Matt, His angst against the bullies in his school and the psychotic measures he comes up with while remaining arguably sane translates perfectly to film, and the effect is simply jarring. Add to that his best friend Owen, played by Owen Williams, who slowly descends from being very supportive of his friends ideas to totally taking a 180-degree turn when he realizes the gravity of the situation, and the result is a disturbing masterpiece into the mind of a disturbed individual who gets pushed too far and goes even further.
The camera-work for the movie is astounding. Not a moment in the film felt fake, even though at times I was questioning myself and asking "this is supposed to be a found-footage movie, so who is documenting everything?" The answer to that would come much later in the film. When the realization of the camera's purpose in the movie hits you, it hits you hard. The strength of the effect only adds to what could only be described as a dreadful finale to this tragic story. There's simply no looking away as Matt finally pulls out the guns and lets all hell break loose.
THE DIRTIES starts out like an innocent comedy romp and ends up being a modern classic, a thoughtful exploration of the troubled human psyche that also serves as a scathing commentary on the issues of bullying and school violence, and the things that regular people would normally consider as harmless entertainment.
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