Dirty Boy

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to the Raindance Film Festival. Keir from Strike Media brought this film up as well. It made its United Kingdom premiere for the festival. Now the title was something that caught my attention. I did come into this one blind, just knowing that it was horror and can be considered a 2025 film.

Synopsis: raised in an oppressive cult, a reclusive schizophrenic discovers that he's being framed by cult leaders for a series of ritualistic murders and must prove his innocence by saving their next victim and destroying the evil sect.

Now this is an interesting film. It is told in four chapters, three of which share book names from the bible. Our lead character is Isaac Wentworth (Stan Steinbichler). He is dealing with a mental disorder. He has another persona that he talks to named Frankie. This other personality is more aggressive, vulgar and violent. Isaac has been locked away and the higher ups have decided he can rejoin the group.

Where he is staying is the Rural Asylum for the Unfortunate. The leader here is Walter (Graham McTavish). He is aided by Verity (Susie Porter), who I assume is his wife. She is also referred to as pastor. They are devoutly Christian. They are Old Testament as Hope (Honor Gillies), who is a young woman living here who is friends with Isaac, speaks out of turn and is forced to drink a jug of apple cider vinegar by the males living here.

Isaac tries to escape but an alarm on the door causes him to return to his room. He isn't taking his medication so this forces him to see Dr. Chronin (Olivia Chenery). Hope wants Isaac to escape but he's determined to figure out these dreams he's having. It is of a woman he believes to be his mother. The deeper he looks into what is going on here, the darker things become. Time is limited and if Isaac doesn't figure things out soon enough, he'll be locked away forever.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this has an interesting premise. I'm a big fan of films that involve cults, especially ones that are centered around religion. We are exploring the fanatical side of Christianity with this group. There are vibes of things like the 'Handmaid's Tale'. This is taking place slightly in the future, where technology is better than what we currently have. There is also a timeless feel because of how this group operates and the outfits they're wearing. I thought that aspect worked.

Where I'll then go would be looking at our lead character. It is a character study of sorts. Isaac never fully learns what mental illness he is dealing with. There was a good scene where he gets aggressive toward Dr. Chronin when he asks her. The first ones that come to mind would be paranoid schizophrenia, multiple personalities or borderline personality disorder. It doesn't truly matter which it is. We just know that he talks to himself. He hallucinates where he sees this other version as well as other people who aren't there. If he gives into Frankie, intrusive thoughts win. I did want to give credit to Steinbichler. I do think he overacts a bit when his grip on reality is slipping without going too far.

Then from there, let's discuss this cult. They're given biblical names like Isaac, Peter, John, Michael for the males. The women have frontier inspired names for people who are religious like Hope, Grace, Mercy and Joy. That helps with feeling like it is in the past. They are isolated in the middle of nowhere. You have to cross woods, hills and similar terrain. We never see anyone go into town. Being where it is located helps with the cult idea. They're intentionally isolating themselves. We are also getting the darker elements of a cult like this where they need to procreate to continue to have their numbers. Not everyone is willing to accept this idea which adds horror.

Where I'll then go would be over to the rest of the acting performances. Like with what I said about Isaac/Frankie, there is a bit of overacting at times. Not enough to ruin it. Porter feels like a villainous headmistress. McTavish works as the leader of the cult. Gillies is good as this character who cares about Isaac. Knowing that he struggles to fit in, she wants him to escape. Then on the other side you have Alice Lucy, Ava Merson-O'Brien, Katharina Scheuba, Ruaridh Aldington, Michael Kodi Farrow and Nick Sankar. They round out the other teens, male and females, who have bought into what the group is doing. I don't think they know any better though either. Chenery is good as the doctor who also has bought in. The rest of the cast were fine for what was needed.

All that is left then is filmmaking. I do think this is well-made. The cinematography and framing are good to capture how isolated this group is. This does well in showing us the landscapes. They aren't necessarily treacherous, but getting to town isn't easy either. This is limited in the effects we get. There was CGI with a hallucination. That didn't bother me. I do love this technology to show that it isn't the past. The blood we got looked good. This is mostly at the climax. Other than that, I saw that Simon Boswell helped with the soundtrack. The music we got was solid. I did enjoy the choir music, which embodies the religious angle. This all worked to help build the atmosphere. A negative though, I never truly felt tension. We just follow along as things happen.

In conclusion, this offers an interesting exploration of cults and mental illness, though it may not appeal to all audiences. While the film excels in its premise, character study, and atmospheric filmmaking, some overacting and a lack of sustained tension might deter viewers. However, for those who appreciate films delving into fanatical religious groups and the complexities of the human mind, this is an intriguing watch that successfully builds a unique world. This is still a solid effort that will resonate more strongly with specific tastes.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

A gripping cult thriller that blends beauty and horror-flawed but memorable.

Powerful performance of the actors and the folk-horror aesthetic adds a haunting layer to the narrative.

The film explores themes of trauma, identity, and control with ambition and depth, a man battling with his own mind..

Living on a religious cult's compound, a teen with schizophrenic thoughts and hallucinations tries to make sense of the changing world around him as he grows into one of their most important rituals, eventually putting him and the rest of the commune in danger of his actions.

This was a somewhat disappointing and underwhelming genre effort. Among the brighter spots here is the generally intriguing work done to showcase life inside the cult compound where most of the film takes place. The first few chapters of the film present an odd mix of styles, from the religious purity rituals and performances that they go through to the series of instructions that are carried out regarding how they interact with each other as well as the leader, there's quite a lot to enjoy here with how it all paints the kind of oppressive, fervent religious underground cult that rules with an iron fist and seeks to exploit others more than anything. It all creates a kind of setup that brings up a dark form of control that helps to put the finale in a bright spot, where it features the kind of explosive action that has a lot to like here once it all starts coming together. Without those factors present, though, this one suffers quite heavily from a generally underwhelming approach to the way of life at the compound and what's going on. The way everything comes together here is a rather confusing time trying to get everything together and make sense, looking to do more about the control of the guy who's clearly mentally unwell, but this seems to do nothing with that kind of material that's not too interesting. It tries to present this as the kind of setup to make him sympathetic for later, but it just points out the rest of the cult as so uninterested in that it makes everything feel bland and uninteresting instead, which ends up making everything just meander around until the end. It's really the main issue with this one that causes it to slip up somewhat.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Dirty Boy is a dark and gripping psychological thriller that holds your attention from the first moment to the final frame. Stan Steinbichler delivers a powerful and haunting performance as Isaac, a reclusive young man tormented by schizophrenia and targeted by a dangerous cult. The direction by Doug Rao is sharp and confident, creating an atmosphere filled with dread, tension, and emotional complexity. Visually raw, emotionally intense, and thematically layered, this film is both disturbing and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for those who appreciate intelligent, character-driven thrillers.