I have been a fan of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead for a few years. Having seen all of their feature films and direction on the Marvel series Moon Knight, I can confidently say that I think they are terrific filmmakers, even though their work isn't for everyone. Their bizarre and thought-provoking stories always suck me in. For that reason alone, I will watch anything new they work on. Something in the Dirt may be my least favourite of their work so far, but I'd be lying if I didn't at least say I had a very good time watching it.
After Levi (Justin Benson) moves into a new apartment complex, his neighbour John (Aaron Moorhead) becomes friends with him when they both witness supernatural occurrences. Choosing to document it in hopes that their story will make them money, they begin to get in a little over their heads. Since the supernatural occurrences do not allow themselves to be filmed, they wait until they've experienced it and then recreate it. So it's real, but not really. This made the film much more interesting to me, but the conclusion is what kept me from thinking it was great.
Many viewers may find themselves unsatisfied with how this story comes to a close, but I can't get into that without spoiling the final scene. This is a well-done film and their comedic friendship helps drive it, but it just felt that the premise was far too interesting for where it actually ends up. Unlike their other films where they just go for it and don't care about how ridiculous some things might be, Something in the Dirt feels very tame in comparison. Still, the creativity is present from start to finish as always.
In the end, Something in the Dirt has some great camera work and the story itself is very fun and intriguing. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are both likeable actors and they do a great job directing as well, but it's a very small movie, so I expected nothing less. I took away a few lessons and ideals from this movie that really made me think, but again, the film itself doesn't explore those things nearly enough. This is a screenplay that is fantastic until the third act, which was slightly frustrating. Still, overall, I'm still pretty positive about the movie for being so creative. Something in the Dirt is now available on demand.
