Something in the DirtThe best mysteries have many sides, and no one can see all of these facets by themselves. Something in the Dirt is a science fiction mystery (and black comedy) about a pair of apartment dwellers--living in separate apartments--in Los Angeles. There is the slacker with a past turned bartender and amateur spear-fisher, Levi (Justin Benson), and the uptight divorcee who scrapes by via charging public scooters and shooting wedding photography--and sometimes teaching math to kids he hates--named John (Aaron Moorhead). One day, both men witness a supernatural event in Levi's new apartment: a floating quartz ashtray. Before long, other mysterious events bind the two men together in a quest to uncover a mystery neither is adequately prepared to solve, but are determined to try for anyway.
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Made by and starring Benson and Moorhead, this dynamic duo of independent filmmakers has a history of producing clever and charming science fiction movies--such as The Endless--and Something in the Dirt is no exception. Rather, the movie feels like a delightful mix of Primer meets The Odd Couple, with a dash of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" thrown in. From the start, Something in the Dirt has an apocalyptic edge to it. The yet unnamed Levi wakes up in an empty apartment on the floor. The ceiling is leaking, and the closet door won't shut. He goes out to the patio where he meets John, whose shirt appears to be stained in blood. A massive wildfire rages behind them, and aircraft fly dangerously low overhead. Something feels wrong right away, but it's the kind of "wrong" that is difficult to define. Is this "normal" for life in Los Angeles? Given that these guys seem to act as though it were an everyday kind of thing..."yes" would have to be the answer, at least in the context of the film. Questions rise like, "is this supposed to be the future?" Perhaps this is their "new normal". Made during the isolation period of COVID-19, Something in the Dirt successfully embodies that pervasive sense of isolation and alienation that swelled during this timeframe--ironic given that John and Levi spend so much time together. But like many people stuck in close proximity with another for an extended period--a.k.a. "cabin fever"--they start to latch on to uncomfortable details about the other person which begins to drive a wedge between them. They become painfully aware of their differences, and struggle to cope with each revelation. Levi's past is replete with legal trouble and mental health issues, neither of which he is (understandably) forthcoming about, which makes John gradually lose trust in him. Yet in another example of irony, John is revealed through brief flashbacks to be a liar--Levi ultimately calls him a "compulsive" one. John, even more than Levi, becomes fixated on the supernatural phenomena originating from Levi's apartment. The turning point, interestingly enough, happens after he takes a few "herbal supplements" Levi has with him, and walks down the Los Angeles streets at night (likely tripping), seeing an angular nautilus pattern virtually everywhere. Shortly thereafter, he becomes utterly fixated on this image, because it reminds him of a mysterious book on magnetism (written in Esperanto) that he found in a geocache as a child...or so he says. Just how much of what John says is true becomes a mystery in its own right.
Something in the Dirt gleefully blurs genres, including moments where it becomes evident that what we're seeing may (or may not) be a recreation of the events that happened to the actual John and Levi. There are brief interludes supporting that the two men turned their findings into a documentary, complete with titles that introduce experts and other members of the film crew. This further illuminates aspects of both the mysterious events they documented as well as the crumbling friendship between the amateur documentarians. The benefit of this is that it creates a "mystery within a mystery". Of course the audience will hope that John and Levi can discern some of what has made the apartment a nexus for unexplained scientific anomalies, but also should become invested in why these interviewees and experts talk about John and Levi's working relationship in the past tense. Something in the Dirt often foreshadows events yet to come through aside lines of dialogue or visual motifs, so that when the end of the movie comes, these moments recall something one of them said, even if it might have just appeared to be uttered in passing. This shows that Benson and Moorhead have carefully constructed their script to reward astute audiences, and that despite the appearance of being a low-budget indie flick, it is much more expertly crafted than it lets on. Many movies that explore mysteries, secret societies, numerology, and government cover-ups are rarely comical, unless they are an outright comedy. However Something in the Dirt is often funny, with humorous moments aplenty. Consider a scene that might appear to be played for seriousness at first is subsequently revealed to be just an outtake of the documentary which they're currently making, recreated solely because the original "footage" was destroyed. Similarly, the movie isn't a strict comedy. It explores important questions about friendship and whether people can ruin their friendships with others because of their own baggage. Like most meaningful friendships, the complexity of John and Levi's becomes nuanced with time. Despite becoming friends over a superficial element (admittedly, an intriguingly mysterious one), they find that as they push one another's boundaries, their respective comfort levels becomes shaky. Ultimately, they have to face the fact that their greatest crisis is whether they should even be around one another at all, toying with the idea that human nature is really the greatest mystery of all.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film that intertwines aspects of comedy, horror, and even a buddy flick all into one elegant--and, more importantly, entertaining--equation. Something in the Dirt aims high, and although many of its themes have been explored before (see Under the Silver Lake for a very recent example of L.A. secret societies and hidden messages), it remains engaging for audiences interested in seeing how exciting and ambitious independent film being made today can truly be.
Something in the Dirt gleefully blurs genres, including moments where it becomes evident that what we're seeing may (or may not) be a recreation of the events that happened to the actual John and Levi. There are brief interludes supporting that the two men turned their findings into a documentary, complete with titles that introduce experts and other members of the film crew. This further illuminates aspects of both the mysterious events they documented as well as the crumbling friendship between the amateur documentarians. The benefit of this is that it creates a "mystery within a mystery". Of course the audience will hope that John and Levi can discern some of what has made the apartment a nexus for unexplained scientific anomalies, but also should become invested in why these interviewees and experts talk about John and Levi's working relationship in the past tense. Something in the Dirt often foreshadows events yet to come through aside lines of dialogue or visual motifs, so that when the end of the movie comes, these moments recall something one of them said, even if it might have just appeared to be uttered in passing. This shows that Benson and Moorhead have carefully constructed their script to reward astute audiences, and that despite the appearance of being a low-budget indie flick, it is much more expertly crafted than it lets on. Many movies that explore mysteries, secret societies, numerology, and government cover-ups are rarely comical, unless they are an outright comedy. However Something in the Dirt is often funny, with humorous moments aplenty. Consider a scene that might appear to be played for seriousness at first is subsequently revealed to be just an outtake of the documentary which they're currently making, recreated solely because the original "footage" was destroyed. Similarly, the movie isn't a strict comedy. It explores important questions about friendship and whether people can ruin their friendships with others because of their own baggage. Like most meaningful friendships, the complexity of John and Levi's becomes nuanced with time. Despite becoming friends over a superficial element (admittedly, an intriguingly mysterious one), they find that as they push one another's boundaries, their respective comfort levels becomes shaky. Ultimately, they have to face the fact that their greatest crisis is whether they should even be around one another at all, toying with the idea that human nature is really the greatest mystery of all.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction film that intertwines aspects of comedy, horror, and even a buddy flick all into one elegant--and, more importantly, entertaining--equation. Something in the Dirt aims high, and although many of its themes have been explored before (see Under the Silver Lake for a very recent example of L.A. secret societies and hidden messages), it remains engaging for audiences interested in seeing how exciting and ambitious independent film being made today can truly be.