by allan tong for FILMbutton

Matt and Owen are two middle-class American film geeks who make thinly-veiled homages to their film heroes, from Kubrick to Tarantino. Like any geeks, they’re bullied at school and ignored by the pretty girls. Gradually, the beatings and tauntings get to them and they embrace thoughts of revenge.

The Dirties is shot verite in a wild, anarchic handheld style that becomes distracting rather than authentic. Our two heroes are likeable, but not extraordinary. At times, their attempts are filmmaking are funny, like tricking a teacher to appear in a violent gun scene, but at other times, the lads look pointless on screen. There are hints of black comedy in The Dirties, but the humour lacks a strong moral perspective to lend it depth. I’m afraid the ambivalence in tone and genre ultimately undersells The Dirties.

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.