The Dirties

I think most people have been bully victims in different ways. Personally i was a bully victim between the age of 10 - 13, but maybe not in an ordinary way. Beaten with a baseball bat, kicked on, thrown naked out on a gym floor, these 3 years were a nightmare. Looking back i realise these were young people who had no self esteem, so they had to try and look cool and put someone shy down. So yes i was a victim of many terrible events. But even if these years were a nightmare, i came back and found my place in the world. So for anyone who have been a bully victim, i know what you have gone through. The Dirties is an independent film, made as an documentary about school bully victims, who plan to give revenge. Sounds like a very simple story, but director Kevin Smith liked this film so much, he choosed The Dirties in his personal film club, helping to promote The Dirties on movie festivals. After a long time, it has finally been released in more countries, and come out in even more countries this summer. Since the release, The Dirties have been praised by critics. Is this a powerful story about bully victims, or another one that most people will probably forget ?

Matt ( Matt Johnson ) and Owen ( Owen Williams ) are making a short film for a school project. They try and make their own version of Pulp Fiction, but in their own way. The problem is that they are both bully victims in their school, especially Matt. So while they are shooting their short film, they try to come up with a story where they revenge on the bullies, as they name them The Dirties. They are ready to show the school class their new short film The Dirties, but while they show it in class, people laugh at their short film. Matt take this very hard, and decide to show them that he is really serious. At one point, Owen find out that Matt have prints of the school building, showing every detail about their school. It seems like Matt is planning to revenge everyone who laughed at them, and use real weapons. Owen think this is a really bad idea, and finally become angry at Matt for taking this to the next level. Matt does not listen, he will revenge those who hurt him.

The Dirties have an interesting concept, even if the story is very small. How would you revenge on bullies ? Here we get a mixture of a different ideas put together as a short film, that try and give bully victims a way to strike back. Director Matt Johnson have tried to give us a view on how you can be as a victim, and your everyday struggle to try and get through the day. I could almost see myself there, as i was a victim in my youth. You can´t help to feel sad, especially for the character Matt, who may be a movie nerd, but he is just a teenager like anyone else. No matter where he goes, people want to beat him down. There is a deep sadness in The Dirties, where we get to ask ourselves the question, is it ok to revenge on those who bullied you ? Here we also get the issue of guns in America, since it is so easy to arm yourself and kill someone, in all ages. Director Matt Johnson have made a good debut feauture film, and i am looking forward to see what he will do next. The Dirties is an emotional motion picture, that will hopefully give a chance to show teenagers that everyone is unique, no matter what we look like or dress like. Considering this is almost made as an documentary, i would guess this is not for everyone. But i recommend you see The Dirties, you might react on how cruel people can be. 

Rating: DDD