‘Something in the Dirt’ Is An Intimate And Tender Piece of Cosmic Horror [Sundance 2022]
Mary Beth McAndrews
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Directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are known for their deeply emotional horror films that straddle mumblecore character dramas and all out eldritch horrors. Their films Resolution, Spring, and The Endless are all films with complex ideas about friendship, love, and what it means to exist in this universe. After the higher budget Synchronic and before their foray into Marvel with Moon Knight, Benson and Moorhead have gone back to their indie roots with Something In The Dirt. This is a welcome return to form for the pair. With their latest project, they’ve made a touching portrait of isolation, paranoia, and the joy of finding someone who actually listens to you.
Levi (Benson) just moved into a dingy apartment with no lease. He needs a place to stay for a few days before he leaves LA, and it seems like the perfect deal. On his first day, he meets his neighbor John (Moorhead) and they share a cigarette while making small talk. They are a motley crew, with Levi in Vans, cut-offs and tattered shirts and John in boat shoes, button-down shirts, and cardigans. But still, they’re drawn to one another. They’re both struggling with finding purpose, taking odd jobs to pay the bills.
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But then they discover something strange in Levi’s apartment. A mysterious piece of crystal floats and projects a fractal pattern onto the wall. Both the men witness the phenomenon and immediately want to document it for fame and fortune. They see this discovery as their ticket out of mediocrity, a way to prove themselves as more than just floating bodies through space.
The more they film and try to understand what’s happening in front of them, the further down the rabbit hole they go. Everything becomes a symbol or part of a bigger conspiracy. New objects appear in the apartment. A succulent mutates and grows an interdimensional fruit. With each new phenomenon, Levi and John are further consumed by the project, clinging onto it like their only anchor to this life. They become trapped in a toxic loop of obsession. But is this all really happening?
Benson and Moorhead manipulate the concept of truth using found footage and pseudo documentary techniques. At first Something In The Dirt all seems narratively straightforward. Then, a talking head interview appears, reflecting on what happened to Levi and John. Quickly the film introduces three layers of storytelling: the “original” footage, the recreations, and the framing story with interviews contextualizing the footage. Levi and John appear in all three layers of the story, blurring the boundaries between what’s real and what’s no until they’re practically nonexistent. They are our unreliable narrators, bent on proving this is more than obsession; this is real.
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While the film grapples with plenty of heady concepts, Something In The Dirt is at its best when Benson and Moorhead are just shooting the shit. Much of the film hinges on the connection between the two of them as they chain-smoke cigarettes and share their lives. John reveals he’s an ex-teacher who just divorced his husband. Levi reveals his tumultuous past and discusses his asexuality. The longer they film, the more they open up to one another, creating the kind of intimate friendship that comes about from sharing an obsession. This is Benson and Moorhead in career best performances, letting their love and respect for each other shine through every line of dialogue.
In short, Something In The Dirt has an immaculate vibe, a perfect blend of mind-boggling cosmic horror and intimate character portraits. It may not be straightforward, but that’s the beauty of it. Benson and Moorhead want to leave the audience questioning what the truth really is. Are these just two weird dudes looking for connection? Or is something truly strange happening to them? This is Benson and Moorhead at their best, creating a genre film filled with tenderness and intimacy. It’s bizarre, it’s relatable, and it’s sweet. This film is a rare treat that horror lovers are lucky to receive.
Summary
‘Something In The Dirt’ is a beautiful and intimate portrait of loneliness, close male friendships, conspiracies, and isolation. It may just be Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s most personal film to date.
