Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
BelSports
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
framptonhollis
After watching "The Dirties", I'm pretty impressed. You can tell that this is a pretty low budget film, and it proves that no matter what a film's budget it, it can still be very impactful. The final moments of "The Dirties" are very disturbing. There's not as much gruesome violence as one might expect from a film that is essentially about a school shooting, but it is still terrifying, and works better without any blood and gore.While the movie is very dark and disturbing, don't expect the film to be completely void of any entertainment value. It almost starts off like a dark comedy, with many amusing bits and characters. This IS a genuinely funny film...but it doesn't stay like that for long. The scenes towards the climax are very intense, and as the film progresses we realize more and more that the main character is a legitimate psychopath.There's some flaws in the film, mainly having to due with technical issues that I had. For example, there's a lot of the cameraman zooming in and out to annoying effect. But, other than those little flaws, the movie is spectacular and highly recommended!
Liam Cullen
This is not your typical Saturday-night movie. In fact, after just finishing watching The Dirties about fifteen minutes ago, I'm still feeling quite detached and empty. That's how this film made me feel.But that's a good thing.It means that this movie is incredibly well written and directed. To leave a viewer feeling as I do now - perturbed - is something to marvel at. This is a powerful film which shines a harsh, unforgiving light upon bullying. It reveals all: the act itself, the victims, and the consequences.The two movie-makers and best of friends, Owen and Matt, go from laughing and joking together to being diametrically opposed in their attitudes and social statuses. This is, of course, with the aid of bullying as an accelerant: because that is exactly what bullying is. This is seen in the film, as well as in schools worldwide. Situations which could otherwise be avoided or lessened in severity are made irrevocably worse as a result of bullying; this is one of the film's key themes. It is made clear from the outset that both characters have been bullied all-throughout their lives. However, things soon change. For Owen, things improve: he becomes more confident, the girl he has had a crush on for years has finally begun reciprocating, and his life in general seems to take a turn for the better - high school gets a little less scary for Owen. On the other hand, Matt ends up at the other end of the spectrum. In his efforts to aid his friend to get the girl he'd swooned over for so long, his own social status does not improve. If anything, Matt becomes even more isolated and frustrated than ever before, which leads to the definitive moment in the film - the psychopath scene.In this scene, Matt is finally able to do what Owen has been pleading for him to do: he separates his film from his life as he genuinely struggles to comprehend what is going on in his mind. He makes a cry for help: "Owen, I think I may be a psychopath" (*paraphrased*), yet his cries are misheard by Owen who has moved beyond the realm of being able to help his once-best-friend, and is now the quintessential society member whom of which this film specifically criticises. Owen becomes just another figure in the daunting hallways of their high school: eyes glued to his phone, his mind elsewhere, popularity and bettering himself being all that he can prioritise. He loses sight of Matt and is unable to see him as a friend in distress. This is what is so tragic about the film. It ends up being Owen, Matt's best friend, who drives Matt to doing the things he does because at the one point which truly mattered, when Matt needed Owen more than ever before, Owen wasn't there for him. And when Matt explodes in fury at his friend not recognising his desperate need for help, it only pushes Owen away even further and makes the viewers feel even more helpless.The final line is utter perfection: "Owen? What are you doing?! It's me!"As Owen stands in horror in the corner, fearing for his own life at the sight of what his friend has become, Matt doesn't understand what changed and why Owen can't see him for what he is. This is where the movie got me. This is where it screamed its loudest. For, as the viewers, we are able to see that the true victim here is Matt. And that is a very morally-challenging concept to wrap your head around. The victim, at least in the movie, is the one holding the gun and not the one lying on the floor. You are left feeling aghast at the thought that the person who committed the massacre was in fact the one in need of the most help. This film leaves you with a burning question to ask yourself: are school-shootings portrayed by the media (or by society in general) in the entirely opposite way that they should be? All in all, this is a very powerful and tragic film which successfully tells a compelling story whilst also spreading a message fundamental to the development of society. It forces you to ask questions which make you uncomfortable when you explore the answers, and emphasises the importance of reaching out and helping those who are at their most vulnerable. Films like this one are some of the best you can watch; they don't come along very often, but when they do you ought not to miss them.
miningos05
If we're treating it like an actual movie, and not just a student film, I gotta be brutally honest.There's been a tendency everywhere in media these days to undervalue actual trained actors and just go with the reality TV style of using anyone you have. Which may work for some genres like documentary, but when your leading actors, directors, cameramen, and editors are the same people, and they are mostly playing themselves, it just screams "shoestring budget".The filmmakers were there after the showing to talk about it with the audience after the film and among some odd things that they said, they kept trying to pass off this aspect of shaky-cam, poor acting, and editing errors aspect as "found footage" or youtube viral video style. If the actors were awkward, it's just cause they were supposed to be high schoolers and high schoolers are awkward. So on and so forth.Unfortunately, the film ends up being very amateurish, boring and all shock value with no substance. The abrupt ending also gives the impression of "this is where we ran out of money, so that's the film ending".Maybe they did have a low budget. Maybe they are just student filmmakers and this was their first film and I'm being too harsh. I don't know. But if that's true, I just can't fathom why Kevin Smith would support a DVD release of this, unless one of the kids in the movie is his nephew or something.3/10. Would not recommend.
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!
