Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
SteinMo
What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
Adeel Hail
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Jack Munson
The Dirties follows these kids who are making a short film about two kids going into their school and shooting all of the bullies. That's as much as I can say without it flagging me for spoilers. I really love this story. It follows a topic that isn't discussed from this point of view. We always hear about bullying from a third person perspective, but The Dirties puts us right in the middle of it. Also to anyone who loves film and wants to get into the industry, you (including me) will find that these characters are extremely relatable which ends up being really scary and makes the movie memorable.The acting is just as if the kids were going through everyday life. I wouldn't say it was amazing acting, but I definitely felt like the people were their characters. They were probably just playing themselves, so it was pretty interesting.The camera work is in the found footage style, but not in the way that it's annoying, it just feels like you are the camera man documenting them making their short film.The soundtrack has some good songs in it, mostly indie music.The Dirties is an experience. It was fun, relatable, and memorable. The movie is chalk filled with movie references for cinephiles and comedy that makes you laugh. It is a must see just for the topic that it pertains and how it approaches it.
oscarjr1993
Shot in a documentary-like (some would say, found footage) style, and aided by the natural performances and dialogue of the characters, everything in this production seems eerily authentic. At first glance, The Dirties simply appears to be a cautionary tale on the bullying problem that plagues students in most schools, but it is much more than that. It also stands as a prime example of all that can still be accomplished in independent cinema today. Filmed on a budget of approximately $10,000, first time filmmaker Matt Johnson and his team simultaneously manage to create a work of art flourishing with film-making energy, while displaying an honest, realistic and chilling portrayal of those who are victimized as a result of bullying. Though it's nowhere near as graphic as the plot would lead one to believe, it's bound to bring up some controversy as it challenges one's moral values and blurs the line between what is right and wrong when seeking repentance.
QueenCatia
I watched this film on the recommendation of my 16 year old son. I love the reality of it. I work in a high school and this director (who is also the star of the film) hits the high school vibe spot-on! All of the actors playing students look and act like teenagers (unlike most Hollywood films). The light tone turns dark soon enough with an unexpected twist. This is an extremely low budget film done right. Kudos to the bicycle scene filmed playing Lissie's Kid Cudi cover of Pursuit of Happiness. You should expect to see more films directed by Matt Johnson in the years to come. Overall this little gem is pretty impressive!
jet66
A tedious exploration of high school alienation, this glacially-paced geek-fest is more attentive to movie meta-references than the purported subject of bullying. At best, Matt Johnson and Owen Williams seem to be trying to answer the unposed questions: "Dude! What if Quentin Tarrantino re-made Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant?' Yo, wouldn't that be sweeeeet?" Sadly for them, it takes more than appropriating scripted conversation and tossing off pop culture references to create interesting dialog. And it requires characters with greater emotional range to plumb the depths of high school bullying. At the same time the writers shamelessly exploit the Columbine tragedy for a wafer-thin story arc. Any of these demerits could have been excused if the end product weren't as boring as your worst detention hall.While the acting is at times excellent, the direction is a largely listless journey though pointless scenes. The visual tedium is occasionally lifted through that 30-year-old cliché, the shaky-cam. But since it's not part of any "found footage," and since many of the shots are from hidden vantages (such as through windows and just behind desks), it implies a voyeur's perspective that doesn't match any bit of the story. And in the end, the only interesting parts of this painfully familiar material are the confusing narrative disconnections.