Something In The Dirt is the latest film from the filmmaking duo, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The two also star as the two leads, Levi (Moorhead) and John (Benson), two down-on-their-luck guys who live in a crappy apartment complex in Hollywood that soon form a bit of a friendship when they happen to stumble upon each other one day. However, the two discover a bizarre, inexpiable phenomenon in the long abandoned unit that Levi is moving into. So, naturally, they decide to start getting some gear together so they can capture it, and make a documentary about it for fame and fortune.
The film was a product of a COVID lockdown production, the locations are minimal, mostly in and around the apartments, the a vast majority of the film is a two-hander between Levi and John as they discuss their plans and try to make sense about this strange thing that is happening in the apartment. I’ve seen quite a few movies shot under lockdown, and I really have to commend Benson and Moorhead here for being able to work with their limitations in such a way to which it isn’t super obvious, and it still manages to be ambitious, a lot more than some of the others I have seen.
The scrappy production works in the film’s favor given the kind of lonely characters we’re following and the growing sense of paranoia that occurs, not just between the two, but in terms of the various conspiracies that enter their thoughts. In a way, this feels like a classic Los Angeles neo-noir, think The Big Lebowski, Mulholland Drive, Inherent Vice, Under The Silver Lake, the specific kind of post-modern genre film set in L.A., in which the plot itself is riddled with zig-zagging plot threads, and meanderings about meaning, and what’s real versus what’s not, and everything in between that results in a somewhat confusing, yet purposeful narrative that grabs you along for the ride.
So, yes, this can be a confusing ride at times, especially as we get into the second half, in which we see more of the documentary, and we get into reenactments, and various other things that dig into the mind-bending qualities that we love to see from these guys. It is very much a return to roots for them. After all, they are coming off their “big” (relatively speaking) Hollywood film with Synchronic and various episodes of Moon Knight and Loki for Marvel Studios, and it’s great to see they haven’t lost an ounce of their idiosyncratic touch. In fact, this might be their most mind-bending effort yet, a true distillation of everything that makes their style unique.
I wish I could dig into more about Something In The Dirt, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Not necessarily because it’s hiding some big plot points, but the journey of watching it all unfold is simply a treat to experience in the moment. The performances are fantastic, and you buy into the journey that the two men take together, and how it affects their friendship. The bits of visual effects here are quite strong, given the limitations. Jimmy LaValle’s score is super eerie and atmospheric. While I hesitate to call it their best, but I would feel comfortable calling it their most personal, and I do think it’s the most purest expression of Benson and Moorhead’s sensibilities as storytellers, and they continue to be among the most inspiring filmmakers working right now, continuously bringing some ingenuity to American indie genre cinema that is unlike anything else being released right now. Also it’s really funny, and I love that the film is dedicated to “making movies with your friends.” We could really use more of that energy in this industry.
Something In The Dirt is now open in select theaters.