Built around a caustic, corrosive culture and society - British film, storytelling, at its most powerful and thought provoking best. Great performances all round, especially from the outstanding Vicky Knight, whose character resists letting her appearance define her, bravely trying to be a a regular teenager and forging her own path in the world, albeit with minimal help and support.
14 Reviews
If god was one of us
FrenchEddieFelson24 June 2019
The actress Vicky Knight was 8-year old when her body was burned to 30% consecutively to an arson. She has hidden her body for years and this film, suddenly, shows it tenfold. Thus, Dirty God (2019) is realized without any Computer-Generated Imagery and Vicky Knight shines and even radiates despite her environment devoid of empathy and full of morons. As for God, we're still looking for him...
Skin deep
kevin c28 February 2021
When a beautiful young woman has acid thrown in her face, what does it do to her sense of self? This is the key question in this intoxicating 21st century London drama.
The film is reminiscent of Andrea Arnold's work. All the scars (literally) are laid bare. This is no redemptive story but Jade does grow. And the journey is moving and cathartic.
The film is reminiscent of Andrea Arnold's work. All the scars (literally) are laid bare. This is no redemptive story but Jade does grow. And the journey is moving and cathartic.
Just Wonderful
HadiAriyan0721 February 2020
Worth Watching
velvet_zoo23 September 2019
Vicky Knight does a good job here making you feel what it is like to literally lose your face. Screenplay and direction help her to create a character, that maintains its dark sides even when everything is ready for pure compassion. Not on the light side, but worth watching.
Finding God can be hard...
erwingeo2 May 2019
... especially if you're a young mother in suburbian UK, whose emotional damage is even more substantial than her physical damage. Nice acting performances in an documentary-like drama. And even though the plot is not very surprising, the eye for detail and overwhelming soundtrack make up for it.
Outstanding Vicky
bazookamouth-221-89809721 June 2020
Gritty and fly on the wall style
mickmcneill28 July 2019
This film really hits home as it gets inside the head of the main character and takes us on a rollercoaster emotional experience. We are never quite sure where the film is heading, it really works on a more docu-drama level than any film I have watched since "Amores Perros". It has a very gritty approach to British subculture and the only violence occuring has preceeded the start of the film. Casting an actual burned actress in the main roll adds a dynamic that would be hard to achieve otherwise. Acting is first class, the film never lets up and really has neither a good or bad ending, it is just what it is - a snapshot of a beautiful young girl tragically maimed and trying to come to terms with a future, any future.
Lots of squandered potential for a great movie...
paul_haakonsen12 July 2019
Admittedly, then I had somewhat expected more from a movie such as the 2019 movie "Dirty God" by director writer and director Sacha Polak.
"Dirty God" turned out to be rather slow paced, and very little was actually happening throughout the majority of the movie. And that was making it somewhat difficulty to sit through the entire movie and not have your attention on the screen start to fail and wander.
It should be said that the acting performances in the movie were quite good, and Vicky Knight - playing Jade - was actually putting on a very strong and memorable performance. It was just a shame that the movie's storyline was less than mediocre and the pacing of the movie was so monotonous.
While Vicky Knight was performing nicely, the Jade character just wasn't really fully written to a satisfactory level for me. The character seemed shallow and more of a rough draft at the character, than it was a properly fleshed out - pardon the pun - character that you could relate to.
I managed to sit through the entire movie, but I wasn't particularly entertained, nor did I find "Dirty God" to be an overly enjoyable movie. It was simply too mundane and slow for my liking. Hence the four out of ten star rating I am giving it.
While I did manage to sit through "Dirty God", this is by no means a movie that I will ever pick up and watch for a second time. The movie just simply had very little replay value to it.
"Dirty God" turned out to be rather slow paced, and very little was actually happening throughout the majority of the movie. And that was making it somewhat difficulty to sit through the entire movie and not have your attention on the screen start to fail and wander.
It should be said that the acting performances in the movie were quite good, and Vicky Knight - playing Jade - was actually putting on a very strong and memorable performance. It was just a shame that the movie's storyline was less than mediocre and the pacing of the movie was so monotonous.
While Vicky Knight was performing nicely, the Jade character just wasn't really fully written to a satisfactory level for me. The character seemed shallow and more of a rough draft at the character, than it was a properly fleshed out - pardon the pun - character that you could relate to.
I managed to sit through the entire movie, but I wasn't particularly entertained, nor did I find "Dirty God" to be an overly enjoyable movie. It was simply too mundane and slow for my liking. Hence the four out of ten star rating I am giving it.
While I did manage to sit through "Dirty God", this is by no means a movie that I will ever pick up and watch for a second time. The movie just simply had very little replay value to it.
Raw and beautiful
ikillick13 June 2019
A wonderfully crafted film featuring a captivating performance from newcomer Vicky Knight. Strong direction and an assured hand throughout made this a rewarding, forgiving and cathartic examination of a victim readjusting to their new life
Incredibly Depressing
InnerWisdom100017 December 2020
This was one of the most depressing films I have ever watched. I can relate to pain, loss, neglect and abandonment like few others but this film gave me nothing in the way of hope, inspiration or anything to latch on to. I truly believe the horror that this poor girl suffered was overdone in the film and perhaps the director was trying to force empathy on the viewer but instead I was left feeling emotionally depleted, angry, sad and as I said, without hope. A better director with a better script could have made this film far more impactful.
I give it a four for excellent acting performances throughout.
I would warn people beforehand that this film might leave you feeling worse off at the end than the beginning, and anyone suffering from any serious form of mental health issues should perhaps avoid this film.
I would warn people beforehand that this film might leave you feeling worse off at the end than the beginning, and anyone suffering from any serious form of mental health issues should perhaps avoid this film.
Strong film, but lacking in redemption.
halfxbreed2322 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is competently shot and well acted. Its premise is hard hitting and uncomfortable with an ambiguity of what true beauty is. I would call this more art than a film due to some of the choices the director made.
The things that botherse most is first the length. 104 min is 15-20 min too long when a good chunk of the movie is the character staring at things. Stoicism does not equal inflection.
Secondly, the premise isn't enough to carry a movie for that run time. Seeing the character go through battles with family doesn't need to be shown time and time again when its been established.
Lastly, the protagonist Jade has zero redemption. The movie just tells her it'll be okay. She assaults a child, treats her own like a burden, fights someone at work, rude to strangers, steals a lot of money from her mother, and has sex with her pregnant best friemds boyfriend.
She did nothing to reconcile this behavior and is a villain that I can't feel sympathy for. Despite the atrocities shes endured. Good try but hollow in the end.
Oh and great soundtrack.
The things that botherse most is first the length. 104 min is 15-20 min too long when a good chunk of the movie is the character staring at things. Stoicism does not equal inflection.
Secondly, the premise isn't enough to carry a movie for that run time. Seeing the character go through battles with family doesn't need to be shown time and time again when its been established.
Lastly, the protagonist Jade has zero redemption. The movie just tells her it'll be okay. She assaults a child, treats her own like a burden, fights someone at work, rude to strangers, steals a lot of money from her mother, and has sex with her pregnant best friemds boyfriend.
She did nothing to reconcile this behavior and is a villain that I can't feel sympathy for. Despite the atrocities shes endured. Good try but hollow in the end.
Oh and great soundtrack.
104 minutes never seemed so long
jrgibson-5193113 December 2020
Imagine a 45 minute TV documentary set on a UK Council Estate, padded out with an extra hour of tedium, and you have this 'masterpiece'. A depressing, boring drama with unpleasant characters does not equate to great cinema. Yes, it is realistic and authentic with the surroundings and behavior but it's also an endurance test to watch to the end. Drastic cutting might make this film more bearable, but watch if you enjoy depressing scenes interrupted by endless shots of walking and staring.
a wound hard to heal
ops-5253513 July 2019
Being acidated by a cruel friend, the story is sparse on the matter, its more the tough psychological fight it is to look different at a young age . the burn scars sticks deep, and even deeper than people around her can understand. choosing to wear a burka to avoid people to see the scars, and doing the sex online on the internet doesnt make matters easier.
its a film about being made estranged to your surroundings, and the lack of real support is like a major acidosis. the acting are plain, but not developing, and just stays sad and at times extreme childish. the make up deartment has done a good job on the wound parts, and the score makes this film afloat.
but allover it is a very sad and gloomy story, with a raw british realism attached to it, so the grumpy old man recommends it to all that can stay in for 100 mins of heavy psychosocial realism. its not a rewind for me though.
its a film about being made estranged to your surroundings, and the lack of real support is like a major acidosis. the acting are plain, but not developing, and just stays sad and at times extreme childish. the make up deartment has done a good job on the wound parts, and the score makes this film afloat.
but allover it is a very sad and gloomy story, with a raw british realism attached to it, so the grumpy old man recommends it to all that can stay in for 100 mins of heavy psychosocial realism. its not a rewind for me though.
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