Something in the Dirt

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source: Something in the Dirt

Just watched it and demanded my $6.99 back from Apple. This is not a real movie. These are two mediocre actors in a single location, shot most likely on an iphone over a long weekend. Mixed into some bad royalty free stock footage to pretend there was a production involved. This is also not a scifi movie...well not if you expect any kind of well....effects or anything. It is astonishing to me that anyone could watch that and not come to the conclusion its a pile of pretentious crap with zero production value, zero entertainment value and two highly unlikeable characters who chain smoke in every single scene (prominently showing of the cigarette brand several times so we know who paid for the $50K production budget). Absolute dreadful nonsense. This won't even entertain you if your high.

Another original film by the duo Benson/Moorhead. But this time was more focused on drama and character development by the two lead protagonists/directors. The mystery of the phenomenon had me pretty interested throughout the movie but at certain point I kinda gave up on it since the accent was put so much more on the effects and the relationship between the two guys rather than the story or the origin of the phenomenon. BUT, this film also gave me strong Resolution (2012) vibes. Resolution too was a movie about two dudes in similar situation but with very different relationship and backstories, then years later The Endless (2017) explained in glorious way the questions we had about The Resolution back in 2012. It may be silly to assume, but we miiight just get another sequel/prequel regarding the unanswered backstory of Something in the Dirt.

I have been a fan of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead for a few years. Having seen all of their feature films and direction on the Marvel series Moon Knight, I can confidently say that I think they are terrific filmmakers, even though their work isn't for everyone. Their bizarre and thought-provoking stories always suck me in. For that reason alone, I will watch anything new they work on. Something in the Dirt may be my least favourite of their work so far, but I'd be lying if I didn't at least say I had a very good time watching it. After Levi (Justin Benson) moves into a new apartment complex, his neighbour John (Aaron Moorhead) becomes friends with him when they both witness supernatural occurrences. Choosing to document it in hopes that their story will make them money, they begin to get in a little over their heads. Since the supernatural occurrences do not allow themselves to be filmed, they wait until they've experienced it and then recreate it. So it's real, but not really. This made the film much more interesting to me, but the conclusion is what kept me from thinking it was great. Many viewers may find themselves unsatisfied with how this story comes to a close, but I can't get into that without spoiling the final scene. This is a well-done film and their comedic friendship helps drive it, but it just felt that the premise was far too interesting for where it actually ends up. Unlike their other films where they just go for it and don't care about how ridiculous some things might be, Something in the Dirt feels very tame in comparison. Still, the creativity is present from start to finish as always. In the end, Something in the Dirt has some great camera work and the story itself is very fun and intriguing. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are both likeable actors and they do a great job directing as well, but it's a very small movie, so I expected nothing less. I took away a few lessons and ideals from this movie that really made me think, but again, the film itself doesn't explore those things nearly enough. This is a screenplay that is fantastic until the third act, which was slightly frustrating. Still, overall, I'm still pretty positive about the movie for being so creative. Something in the Dirt is now available on demand.

Justin and Aaron's masterpieces came early in their career (Resolution, Spring, and The Endless), so as fans we expect to get that type of storytelling and movie making every time. We expect greatness every time, so when it's not, we're literally disappointed, and maybe even saddened. This movie may be great, this review is based on one viewing, but as of now I was totally letdown. It had all the elements of a classic Benson and Moorhead production, and until we got over the 1 hour mark, I still had hope (Remember, not much happened in the first half of Resolution), but as the movie was getting closer and closer to the end, I knew this wasn't going to make it to their "Mount Rushmore" of films. I love conspiracy theories and sci-fi, but the movie provided no definitive answers, and honestly became hard to keep track of the more the movie progressed. This sounds like a hit piece, it's not meant to be. I'm just a huge fan overly expressing my disappointment with the movie not being another "Resolution" or "The Endless" (although I counted 5 Easter eggs to The Endless in this movie). These guys will always be in my top tier of movie makers and writers and I will always be a huge fan. I will still continue to get excited for EVERY movie they make.

Directors and stars Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Benson also wrote the script) also made Spring, The Endless, Synchronic and Resolution -- as well as episodes of Marvel' Moon Knight and Loki as well as Archive 81 and The Twilight Zone together. This time, they play Levi and John, two neighbors in a Los Angeles apartment building who discover a paranormal event and decide to use what they've experienced to become rich and famous. The only problem is that dealing with the unknown -- whether supernatural or between two people that barely know one another -- can be dangerous. This is a small movie with big ideas, a way of filming necessitated by being created in COVID-19 isolation, but what emerges is the idea that within ourselves and the world that there are so many layers yet peeling back those very same layers can have destructive results. Shot with a crew of three -- Benson, Moorhead and producing partner David Lawson Jr. -- this is a hang-out film of two people confronting a gravitational anomaly within the walls of a no-lease apartment complex that seemingly also keeps them within its gravitational orbit, too focused on making it or working to escape but trapped forever within the same four walls. From seeing the same shape throughout Los Angeles to followers of Pythagoras and cats using parasites to increase mental illness, there are secrets within every story told. There are even conspiracies between the two leads, as Levi has a criminal record that he doesn't want to discuss and John is part of a religion that could very well be called a cult, even if his homosexuality may not allow him to be fully part of the sect he's grown up in. I saw someone comment that this is Under the Silver Lake for poor people and that makes sense. It never reaches the mania of that film, but it does expand in ever stranger circles, using multiple film techniques and media -- even old home movies -- to get to the truth, which even by the end of the film is only known by one of the leads and there's no way he can explain it to the other.

"Resolution" and "The Endless" are two of my favorite movies. Aaron and Justin did so much with so little. Slow building, creepy atmospheres supported by strong ideas that drove those films. (Despite small budgets.) It was inspiring. So, I was very excited to find another film by these two. Halfway through "Something in the dirt", the atmosphere was there, but I was starting to worry that we weren't progressing at the same pace as their previous films. But Aaron and Justin have always finished strong, so I kept watching. The editing was starting to remind me of youtube videos, with the constant visual cutaways during monologues. But those constant cutaways helped hide the fact that most of the movie is just two guys smoking cigarettes and chatting in a single room. I'm two thirds through it and it's becoming clear that the 'magical crystal thing' has no real purpose other than to keep the viewer watching, while two guys sit around and give their opinions on random stuff. By the end, I realize there's no story here. It's just a 2 hour long reddit-fueled argument regarding conspiracies, and more to the point of the movie, conspiracy theorists. And it appears, based on how they wrote the conspiracy theory character, Aaron and Justin would like you to view conspiracy theorists as egomaniacal, fame-seeking, cult-level fanatics. Sigh. If you like Justin and Aaron and want to continue to like them, don't watch this movie. Because it appears, two of our favorite indie sci-fi filmmakers gave up storytelling and have joined the mob making 2 hour long, youtube-grade videos to voice their personal opinions. Like so many others 'filmmakers' today, they appear to be caught up in the social engineering zeitgeist and couldn't be bothered to also write a compelling story. Et tu, brute? 2 stars for atmosphere and old time's sake.