Slamdance Film Fest winner "The Dirties" bows in limited release

PanARMENIAN.Net - Another weekend, another dozen-plus Specialty films entering the crowded theatrical market, with the Phase 4′s Slamdance winner The Dirties among the others bowing in limited release, Deadline said.

The drama revolves around two best friends who film a comedy about getting revenge on bullies at their high school, but one of the would-be filmmakers takes matters beyond a big screen fantasy.

“Elyse Seiden from the Kevin Smith Movie Club saw the film at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival and brought it to us and Kevin,” said Phase 4 CEO Berry Meyerowitz. “Kevin was over the top about the film so he pursued it for our label together. The club is a great jumping off point for independent filmmakers, and The Dirties is the type of movie that has just the right amount of edge to mobilize and create conversation among the Kevin Smith fan base.” Phase 4 is hoping to broaden the film’s audience beyond the KS Club’s core 18-34 male group via the topic of bullying. “Our intent with the audience is to create conversation around bullying while also positioning this film against others of its kind,” said Meyerowitz. “The Dirties is unique in how it takes a neutral stance while creating understanding of the plight of the victims and the (potential) consequences of bullying.”

The Dirties is premiering day-and-date on October 4th coinciding with the start of the new school year and National Bullying Prevention Month. It will open in L.A., NYC and Toronto and will add locations in Ohio, Kansas and Austin in the coming weeks. Added Meyerowitz: “We are confident that the audience interest on this film will continue to build over the coming weeks as more and more fans have the opportunity to watch it.”

"What would an image-obsessed film geek wear to a school shooting — the one that he'll commit? In the funny-creepiest moment of "The Dirties," a masterful blend of black humor and queasy dread, high school student Matt (Matt Johnson, who also directed and co-wrote) runs through a montage of possibilities," a review published in Los Angeles Times said.

"Adidas tear-away pants for a facade of innocent normalcy? A T-shirt with the cover of "The Catcher in the Rye" ("Crazy killers are always obsessed with 'The Catcher in the Rye,'" Matt notes) — and Holden Caulfield's red hunting cap? Certainly not a plastic shopping bag over his head. ("It's not safe because we're promoting a choking hazard.")

What Matt is "promoting" matters because he plans to use footage of the shooting in his next film project. He's done it before: After secretly recording himself being bullied, he incorporated that video into a school project, a Tarantino-esque revenge fantasy against his tormentors. He's already suffered for his art; now it's their turn.

At the heart of Matt's descent into sociopathy is a compelling portrait of teenage alienation and self-delusion. Already estranged from his peers by his cinephilia — Matt's the kind of film nerd whose first language is movie quotes — his increasingly antisocial tendencies drive away his best friend, Owen (Owen Williams). The rich character development, naturalistic performances, well-paced plotting and shaky-cam look all make the final shoot inevitable — and tragically ordinary," the review said.